Touhou - The Border of Good and Evil
by LurkingWriterGuy
Summary: After leaving Hell to find a temporary replacement for her assistant, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu joins forces with Reimu Hakurei, Aya Shameimaru, and Marisa Kirisame, to stop a mysterious villain who threatens the future of Gensokyo. Can they uncover her true motives before it's too late? Bonds are severed, and friendships that were eternal, must end. Death, is the gateway to life.
1. Prologue

The Border of Good And Evil -Prologue-

The Judge of Good and Evil

 _Hmm, gave donations to a shrine every week, and ended up being killed by a robber on the way one day. Innocent. Next. Ran a slave trade disguised as a travelling act: died when the trapeze broke and he fell. Fitting- and guilty, worthy of five hundred years in hell. Next._

The woman sitting at her desk went through file after file, making a mark for the innocent, and leaving a stamp for those she deemed guilty. She never lapsed in her focus, only pausing to refill the ink in the pen.

 _Saved a boy from drowning, but the boy turned out to be a murderous youkai. He had indirectly aided in a massacre in the village, so guilty in the greater scope, but the intentions at the start were innocent. Still, this man hasn't been completely innocent in his entire life, but not completely guilty either. Mmm, innocent? Or guilty? Ughh…_

Rubbing her temples the way she always did when faced with a tough decision, Shikieiki reviewed the current subject's life again and again. Though seemingly daunted at the choice in front of her, it certainly wasn't the first – or last time she would do this. After all, it was her duty as the judge of black and white: good and evil.

"Guilty. 500 years in hell. However, I think that repentance and service may reduce the sentence to 100 years. Next."

The stamp of a seal on paper reverberated through the large, plain white office as Shikieiki moved on to the next file. Her office was spacious, although in such a way that wasn't freeing and open, but intimidating and cold. A few book shelves scattered along the walls containing references to law, and a small tea table, were the only furnishings aside from Shiki's desk. A large window behind her allowed for a view of Higan, where she could see the souls of those awaiting judgement. Though technically in Hell, her office maintained a temporal link that allowed her to move quickly back and forth, thus boosting efficiency.

Today was like every other. Souls needed to be judged and sent on their way, and without her, the incident that occurred some years ago would occur again.

A loud clatter from the front of the office took Shiki's attention from her work. Komachi (her _almost_ useless assistant and current ferryman of the Sanzu) had stumbled in through the front door and dropped a bloodstained sword on the floor. She clumsily picked it up, dropped it, picked it up again, and scurried over to the desk, depositing it directly over the files Shiki was looking over.

There was a long silence as Komachi stood there expecting a reply, oblivious to the daggers that Shikieiki was staring into her. After a few more moments she began to get the idea, opening and closing her mouth trying to find a safe way to express herself. There just wasn't quite a good way to put whatever it was she needed to say, and every moment longer began to reflect in Shikieiki's darkening eyes.

A loud cough brought her attention to the impatient judge in front of her.

Shikieiki realized that if her useless assistant wasn't going to talk, then she would have to get it out of her with a little force. "Komachi," she began sternly. "What is it you're trying to say?"

Half relieved and half scared at not having to start the topic and letting her boss ask first, Komachi pointed at the items and made as serious a face as she could. "T-this is a weapon used in a fight between two gangs in the Human Village. I, um, picked it up after the fight and brought it to you, because, uh…" She trailed off, unable to finish her thought.

Shiki was unimpressed and annoyed. "Why did you bring it then? I don't need this Komachi. I can see all the evidence I need to in my mirror, so you'd better have a very real reason for interrupting my work and making a mess out of all my files."

The assistant felt a heavy knot form in her stomach. She messed up bad, and every second longer made it worse, but what she had to say could potentially land her a heavy sentence of her own – something like an eternity in hell, at the least. With as much courage as she could muster, the words began to form, hesitantly at first, but more and more.

"Shiki-sama, I uh, I need to say this: the reason f-for the gang fight? It… I-it was my fault. I delivered the weapons that were responsible for the deaths of so many people, and I felt I needed to show you to like, uh, show you… um…" Unable to continue, Komachi fell silent and cast her gaze down to the ground.

With a sigh, Shikieiki stood up and moved around to her assistant, grabbing her by the shoulders and bringing her eyes up to her own. "Look at me Komachi, you aren't wrong, and I'm not going to sentence you to hell or anything. This… this wasn't your fault." Wiping the growing tear from the sobbing girl, she continued, "Sit down. There's more to this than you're telling me, I'm sure. Let me just look into my mirror and-"

"No!" Cried Komachi, becoming suddenly aware and tense. "I-it's okay, I'll accept any punishment you have for me, so you don't have to waste your precious time looking at-"

"Komachi! I'm going to look now, so sit down before I really lose my temper."

Defeated and deflated, she slumped down into a chair, her vacant eyes staring into nothingness.

Shikieiki took up her mirror and gazed into it, focusing on the soul of Komachi Onozuka, and willing the past to appear before her. What she saw was… unexpected.

"…Komachi."

"…yes?"

"…you don't remember what you did in the village, do you?"

"No… I got the box and delivered it, but uh… my memory's _hazy_."

Nodding to herself and sternly glaring at Komachi, Shikieiki put the mirror away and revealed the truth. "You went to the casino, didn't you?"

Her assistant turned sheet-white, eyes widening in realization. "Y-yes… I think I did. Maybe."

A rage began to burn in Shiki, growing larger and darker as more was shown. "You went to the casino, got blindly drunk, and took a box from a stranger. Then, instead of delivering the box where you were supposed to, you ended up dropping it and picking up a dirty piece of cardboard by drunken mistake, gave it to one of the gang members, and passed out in a ditch."

Komachi looked stunned. "B-but, wasn't it my f-fault?" She stammered.

"You were _drunk_. They _set you up_ with the weapons, but considering you never delivered it, the fight still happened, and both sides took the blame, _you got lucky_."

There was a heavy tension in in the air as her assistant began to sink lower into the seat. The look on her face betrayed the fear in her heart, a fear of knowing what was coming.

"Also, you just came in and interrupted my work. Do you know what that means?"

"I uh, y-yes… Shikieiki-sama."

"It is time for your punishment."

Finally, the poor assistant snapped. Her eyes became crazed and her breath ragged. She leapt out of the chair and towards the door in a desperate attempt to escape. But suddenly, an invisible force gripped her, stopping her dead cold. She could feel an intense murderous aura at her back.

The whiteness of the office seemed to stretch for miles, interrupted only by the two anomalies in the center.

Here, the fabric of existence itself was at a crossroads, and what happened next could change the course of history forever.

A terrified Komachi pleaded for her life, pathetically blabbering any excuse she could to escape, but to no avail. Shikieiki straightened her posture, and began the judgement.

"According to the power I hold as judge, Komachi Onozuka: you have been charged with dereliction of duties, public endangerment, and obstruction of justice. There is only one punishment applicable to someone like _you_."

"Please! Oh god why please no please oh please don't don't hurt me I didn't mean to oh god why-"

"Your sentence-"

"Please!"

"- _Is a million spankings_!"

It was over. Those words rang through Komachi like the final toll of death's bell. Even though she couldn't actually be sentenced to hell (because she's not dead for one, and two: being the ferryman of the Sanzu meant certain protections), her fate was one she considered to be worse than an eternity of suffering.

Shikieiki put her hand on the shoulder of her assistant. "Now Komachi, why don't you be a good girl and just _bend yourself over my knee for your sentence_?"

"Oh, uh, I uh-"

Before she knew what was happening, the assistant found herself staring at the ground, dress hiked up, and pink, tender cheeks exposed to the cold air. "N-no, please!" She cried pitifully. "Anything but that! I beg of you, ple-"

There was no forgiveness in the hand that immediately came down with a resounding slap louder than a peal of thunder.

"OOOOOWWW! AHH! Please no-AOW!"

Again and again, the hand of God judged Komachi's buttocks relentlessly.

Shikieiki sternly lectured her assistant while meting out the sentence. "As a Shinigami, it is your duty to always be at the Sanzu River, not slacking in the Human Village and getting drunk!"

*Slap!* *Slap!*

"OW! I get it, so please-"

Shiki paused. "You still have nine hundred, ninety-nine thousand, and nine hundred eighty more to go."

"Please!" Begged Komachi. "If you do that many, you'll spank my butt flat! I won't have anything left anymore!"

With a wicked grin, the judge replied, "Then, after I'm done teaching your bottom a lesson, I might have to focus on reducing those ridiculously large breasts you have!"

"Noooooooooooooooooo!"

Her punishment began again. Komachi's cries for forgiveness and mercy echoed throughout the night.

The next day was like every other. Souls needed to be judged and sent on their way, and without her, the incident that occurred some years ago would occur again. Although that time wasn't her fault, this time really might be. Shikieiki's punishment had effectively immobilized the Shinigami for a while, so no souls were being ferried across the Sanzu. It was quite a dilemma, one that she admitted was partly her fault, but felt that if it weren't for her useless assistant, then it wouldn't have happened.

As it were, Shikieiki's workload was already too much to even think about taking Komachi's place temporarily, so she needed another solution: a temporary replacement to fix the temporary problem. The person chosen would have to be fairly pure, dependable, could deal with spirits, and was inhuman or possessed special abilities so they wouldn't die from exposure to Higan and the Sanzu.

Shiki quietly mused possible candidates to herself as she looked out the window of her office, taking in the vastness of Higan. "I'll go look for a replacement for just a little a while then. Things should be fine until then."

The yama cleared her desk and organized the remaining paperwork and files to await her return. She then pulled out a placard that read "Out of Office," and set it down. Checking once more to assure that everything was in order, she then stepped out and looked over the fields of Higan. It was serene, peaceful in such a way that any living person could spend happily spend their life here. However, it wasn't a place for the living. It was a waiting room for the dead, a serene purgatory of sorts to those who died and awaited their judgement.

Setting a destination in mind, the judge opened a portal to Gensokyo. Instead of flying, she decided to warp to her tether point in the Hakurei Shrine to save time.

Shiki figured it would be a good idea to see if the red-white miko was a candidate to be Komachi's replacement. Undoubtedly, the Shrine maiden would sense her approach as soon as the connection was established, so it wouldn't be a surprise at all.

Looking at Higan one last time, she prepared to enter the portal, giving an emphatic "yeah!" to psyche herself up.

The moment she stepped in, Shikieiki set herself on the path to become twisted in the fates of several others, their destinies now combined. She was to play a vital role in the plot of a sinister force that would decide the future of all of Gensokyo.


	2. Take A Penny

Border of Good And Evil Ch.1

-Take A Penny, Leave A Penny-

Summer's lingering heat could still be felt as the red-white and self-proclaimed Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Reimu Hakurei, lazed about in her shrine. These days, there was so little to do that even the occasional visit from fairies provided some small entertainment. Marisa Kirisame, ordinary magician, friend, and nuisance, hadn't come by for a few days. Perhaps she should've felt more worried, but Reimu quickly dismissed the thought, returning to sipping tea and staring at the sky.

Clouds drifted lazily overhead, casting dark patches of a varying variety of shadows onto the ground. The trees rustled quietly from the soft wind, the grass bent slightly with every breath, and life seemed to move slowly. It was peaceful, serene even, and just a little bit humid.

As she looked up and imagined what the clouds might taste like, a small patter of feet coming from the front of the shrine brought her back down.

 _Fairies?_ She decided to listen in bored amusement.

An adolescent girl's voice dismissed the possibility of fairies as she pipped in enthusiastic innocence. "Mommy! Mommy! Can we wish at this shrine?"

The girl's mother, her voice full of warmth and love that could only be found in the bond between a mother and daughter, replied, "Of course honey. What do you want to wish for?" The smile in her voice was as warm as the summer itself.

A short pause followed, but the young girl quickly chirped, "Let's wish for dad to come back soon! I really really miss daddy."

"A-ah, of course honey. I'll wish too. Even if it doesn't come true right away, I'm certain we'll be with him again someday."

"Yay!"

The sound of a coin dropping into the donation box marked their departure.

Reimu sat there, looking back up at the sky and musing quietly to herself. "Mom and Dad huh?" She watched two clouds float across the loneliness of the deep blue, one large and the other small. "Wonder where's yours…"

There wasn't much to remember of her own family, just little fragments now and again, but nothing concrete. Most of what she could remember was here at the shrine, and even as far back as she could recall, it was Yukari Yakumo who took care of her as a child. It could only be assumed that her mother was the previous shrine maiden, but there were no clues anywhere to prove that, nor was there anything that indicated what happened to her. Not even Yukari would say anything about it, though she probably knew something. At this point, her mother was likely dead, but none of it really made a difference now.

"Ah!" With a jolt, Reimu stood up and set the cup of tea down. "I need some snacks right now."

She hurried over to the cabinet and quickly opened it, releasing a musty cloud of dust. There were no snacks inside, just empty sadness.

 _Well, this made today worse_ , she thought to herself.

It seemed a trip to the village was now in order, as a house without snacks was no home at all.

Reimu grabbed her purse and traveling robe, stepping out of the house and locking the doors. As she passed the donation box, she opened it and took the money that was left earlier: a nice little gift of 1,000 yen.

As she began down the steps, she drawled to herself, "Today could only get better."

- **Shortly after-**

A rift opened at the Shrine's gate, and a peculiarly dressed woman stepped out. She had green hair, capped by an odd blue hat, a robe like that of a judge, and a rod-like object in her hand. There was an air of authority around her, as if she commanded the power to judge fate.

Puzzled, she looked around the shrine, searching for something. "Odd," she mumbled to herself. "Perhaps Reimu really didn't notice me coming?"

It was an odd stroke of fate for certain, but the strange woman was not deterred in the least. "I'll just take a look around some more, and then maybe head to the village later."

- **Meanwhile-**

Summertime can motivate certain creatures to become more active, engaging in activities and seeking other avenues of interest they otherwise wouldn't pursue. This was the case for Wriggle Nightbug, a weak, but innocent bug-type youkai. Despite her boyish looks, she was, and insists to be, a girl. Today, she felt the urge to visit the Hakurei Shrine and pray for good luck. With fall and winter around the corner, any help divine or earthly that could preserve the lives of her brethren, was graciously welcomed and sought.

Tunes of bliss and the coming night could be heard in her approach by passerby far ahead the road.

Other travelers were warmed by the innocence she exuded in her passing.

"Oh, how I wish I was young again. Enjoy your day, young man!"

"I'm a girl!"

The trip passed like this the whole way, though Wriggle didn't really mind. She realized that, yes, her looks were boyish. But she was a girl without a doubt.

Arriving at the shrine steps, she fluttered her insectile wings and lifted off, skipping the strenuous hassle of climbing up one step at a time. What awaited her at the top was not what she expected however.

Looking around, Wriggle could not see Reimu anywhere. "Oh well, I guess I'll just leave a donation and make a prayer," she decided. After dropping a 500 yen coin, she clasped her hands together and focused all her energy in asking the gods for their guidance and protection. _May the insect horde be bountiful and strong in the coming battle of winter_ , she prayed.

Taking a deep breath and stepping back, she then noticed a strange sound coming from the house.

"Reimu?" Looking around the donation box, she spotted a strangely dressed woman poking around, seemingly trying to find a way to enter.

 _A burglar?!_ The alarmed Wriggle watched as the lady kicked a locked door in frustration. She really wanted to get in for some reason. Er, well, for a burglar that would be an obvious reason.

 _I should confront her_ , thought Wriggle. _I should stop her, because it's wrong to burglarize!_

But the bug youkai was pretty weak, and the woman looked like she was strong, even for a human. Wriggle felt powerless, but began to find a courage inside herself that she didn't realize was there. Repeating a chant again and again, she psyched herself up and started to approach.

The summertime could motivate certain creatures to do things they otherwise wouldn't do.

- **In another view** -

Truth be told, Shikieiki was the woman in question that Wriggle had mistaken for a burglar. Sensing a presence behind her, she spun around to face a small, diminutive bug youkai, approaching with a strange look.

"I can do it! I can do it!" It chanted again and again, louder each time.

Slightly taken aback, Shiki calmly tried to initiate a conversation, being careful to avoid offense or surprise. "Um, hello little boy. Can I help you?"

"I'm a girl!"

- **Explanations are made-**

Wriggle was relieved to find out that Shikieiki was not a burglar, but was in fact looking for Reimu as well. The explanation seemed a little forced, and she couldn't help but feel chastised in some weird way.

"So, Wriggle, was it?" Inquired the judge. "What brought you to the shrine today?"

She responded hesitantly, "A-ah, I came today to pray for protection and good luck. You see-" She pointed to the trees and sky, indicating everything around, "-summer will be over in a month or so, and for youkai like me, it can be very… difficult, so to speak."

"As the seasons change, so does your lifestyle?"

"Yes," replied Wriggle. A sadness began to creep into her eyes. "But for many of my kind, it's more than just our day to day lives that change." Her smile faded away. "I can hear them while others cannot- the insects I mean. Their lives are just as complex as any of ours, but most people just don't know. I'm sure you could already tell-" she pointed to the antennae on her head and film like wings on her back, "- what it is I'm referring to, right?"

Shikieiki nodded. Yes, it was a sad truth, but an inevitability nonetheless. She didn't think this youkai would be fitting candidate for Komachi's replacement, but out of curiosity, she decided to inquire further.

At this point, Wriggle had been distracted by a few insects that came around to cheer her up. She laughed and smiled, paying attention to each one and making invisible conversation with her brethren. Her laughter and smile warmed Shiki's heart, like the innocent zeal of a young child.

"Wriggle," she began.

The nightbug snapped to attention and looked at her.

"You care for the insects very much, don't you?"

With a smile, she replied, "Well, yes. I care for all of them, because they're like family to me. If I didn't have them," she paused, "I don't think I could get through day to day. It's hard being a weak bug-youkai like myself, but I do have other friends besides them at least."

 _Hmm_ **,** mused Shiki to herself. _Such an innocent little girl- there's no way she could handle the responsibility of being my assistant. No, rather, she deserves better._

"So, Wriggle, are you happy?"

At first surprised at the sudden question, she quickly smiled and replied with an emphatic, "yes!"

"Would you, or have you ever thought about what it might be like if you were something else?"

A pair of greenish eyes looked at her curiously. "Huh? Like what?"

"Well," continued Shikieiki, "what if you were bigger and stronger, but had very important responsibilities?"

"Mmm, I dunno. Can't say I've really given it much thought. Being someone else isn't really something that bothers me. As hard as it can be sometimes, I like being me, Wriggle Nightbug."

The judge smiled and chuckled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Wriggle wondered if she had said something odd.

Waving her hand, she replied, "You are a good person and have led a good life. When it comes time, I will judge you fairly."

A confused look came over the little youkai, and her curious eyes became cautious and worried. Unconsciously, she stepped back, stuttering, "J-judge me? W-what do y-you mean?"

"Oh, I never actually told you what I do, I'm so sorry. Well then-" Straightening her posture, she authoritatively announced, "I am Shikieiki Yamaxanadu: Judge of good and evil. I pass judgment on the souls of the dead once they cross the Sanzu River."

Wriggle's happy demeanor quickly deteriorated, reducing her to a terrified mess. She continued to step back and with wide eyes yammered, "H-hold on, you're s-scary now! I didn't know that you judged-" *gulp* "-dead people!"

"Oh no no no," corrected Shiki. "I'm not going to judge you. I can only judge the dead, which you are not. Besides, you don't have anything to worry about. I can tell that you are a good person." Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, "and I'll tell you a secret: I can see into your past, so I know everything you've ever done."

The small youkai visibly relaxed, but was still a little tense. "So you know that I swiped a cookie when Reimu wasn't looking last week?!"

"Ah, ha ha ha, um…" The truth was that, yes, Shikieiki could indeed look into people's pasts, but only with her mirror. Still, this could be a good way to put it anyhow. "Uhh, yes. I saw that, and it was very wrong of you."

"Ahhhh! I'm gonna go to hell!" Screamed Wriggle in dejected terror.

Shikieiki laughed to herself while the girl cried pathetically. "Don't worry, Wriggle. You're much more of a good person than not, and I like that," she assured.

Wiping her tears away, the terrified youkai looked up with innocent eyes. "R-really?"

"Mhm, really."

Wriggle gleefully shouted with joy, her insect friends zipping around happily. "I'm a good person, I'm a good person!"

 _Such innocence_ , mused Shiki. _Kind souls like herself are hard to come by these days._ She sighed. _What happened to all the kindness these past few centuries?_

As she was lost in thought, Wriggle communicated with her insect friends, asking their help in finding Reimu. They nodded and flew off, tasked with this special mission. Turning her attention, she pulled the judge back to reality. "So, do you want to wait with me for Reimu to return, Shiki-san?"

 _San?_ "Hm? O-oh, I'm not sure…"

"C'mon," urged the innocent little youkai. "I really want to hear your stories of being a judge. It must be pretty tough."

Shikieiki wasn't sure if she had the time to spare, but then again, she hadn't enjoyed a good conversation in a very long time. Besides, more people could show up that she could interview, and Reimu would appear eventually.

"Sure," she agreed. "I'd love to talk with you some more. I haven't had a good conversation in a while."

"Great! Let's go sit over there. I don't think Reimu will be out too long, but I asked the insects to look out for her. In the meantime, please tell me some stories!"

"Very well. One time, I scolded my assistant Komachi, who is the ferryman of the Sanzu River, after she fell asleep on the riverbank…"

- **Elsewhere-**

 _Geez, the summer is always too hot_ , complained Reimu to herself as she arrived at the Human Village. Despite her disdain for the heat, the village was bustling and full of business. Vendors hawked their wares, one claiming to be better than the last, whilst children followed their parents closely, admiring the streets in adoration and wonder. It was the high-time for business, a perfect time to seek out sales and deals on the delicacies that Reimu was looking for.

Passing the many shops displaying odds and curiosities, trying her hardest to not be distracted by them, she arrived at the door to a fairly decrepit looking store front. The walls were overgrown with ivy, and what used to be a nice old brown paint was now a sunburnt tan color. A single sign nailed over the door read: "Multicolored Magical Eats."

A name as fitting as the visage it presented.

As she walked in, a distinctively quiet voice called from further in back, "Be right there!"

The shop itself was actually rather nice on the inside, obviously well taken care of by the autonomous dolls that flitted here and there. Knick-knacks adorning the shelves, as well as a variety of hand-sewn figurines, gave the place an exceptionally groomed curio-store look. Further in at the counter was displayed a beautiful array of cookies, tarts, fudges, macaroons, cakes, and all sorts of delectables. They were beautifully colored and arranged with an elegant grace that bespoke the passion of their maker.

Reimu stepped up to the counter and was greeted by a yellow haired girl coming from the kitchen, followed by two dolls holding paper and pen. "Oh, it's you," she quipped casually. "Here for the usual fare then?"

"Hey Alice, and yeah."

"Of course, just hold on a moment while I get some fresh ones from the ovens."

Nodding, Reimu stepped back and watched her disappear back into the kitchen with an elegance and flourish.

These days, Alice Margatroid was focusing her attentions on confectionary instead of puppeteering, though due to the shop's outward appeal, probably not for the purpose of attracting customers. What was her purpose? Who knew?

She returned with a box labeled, "Margatroid Magic," setting it down and proceeding to ring up the transaction. One quick exchange of money later and Reimu had the tasties in her own hands.

"Great, thank you," said Alice as she closed the register and handed over a receipt. "By the way," she began, "have you seen Marisa lately?"

"Not at all."

Disappointed, she slumped her shoulders. "Really? Ah well… I wonder what happened? You know, she said she was going mushroom picking at the Tengu Mountain and promised to visit here on her way back. But it's already been _three days_." A look of worry came over Alice. "Something isn't right. Do you think… do you think she's in trouble?"

Admittedly, Reimu did think it was odd, but considering it was Marisa, she felt she couldn't be bothered with worrying. "I don't know Alice, better not think too hard about it."

The yellow haired puppeteer looked upset, but quickly perked up with an idea. "Hey, have you seen the tengu? Aya Shameimaru?"

"No."

"I bet she knows where Marisa is. Do you think you could ask for me? I mean, if you have the time of course."

As much as she didn't want to, Reimu realized the benefit of fulfilling this favor. A hefty discount for further delicacies would be very likable.

"Hmmm, I guess. I'll ask her about it if I ever see her."

Alice gave a happy squeal and hopped up, fist pumping the air before hurriedly slapping a "closed" sign onto the counter. She locked up the register and sent the dolls to tidying up the shop. "Reimu, I'm gonna close up for today, would you mind flipping the sign on your way out?"

With a grunt, Reimu walked out, flipping the sign as well, before heading on her way. As the door closed, she heard, "Ohhhh, I can't wait! Marisa! Marisa! I'm gonna bake a _special_ treat just for you, eheheheh-" *shut*

 _None of my business_ ¸ she thought heading down the street.

Everything was still as busy as ever, and as she turned down a fairly empty alley, Reimu noticed a display filled with a variety of Shrine goods. Talismans, gohei, prayers, seals, etc., were being purveyed by "Moriya Mega-Exorcism Products."

 _Wow, I thought I'd seen the worst name yet._

Another sign next to the goods said, "Honesty Please! Leave the payment for the items in the basket."

Looking around, she noticed that there was no one watching over the store, save for a few insects that buzzed about before zipping off.

What happened next was an act of pure malice. Despite being a "shrine maiden," Reimu grabbed the money in the basket, a handful of the goods, and muttered a curse under her breath. "Damn Moriya's." Quickly looking both ways, she ducked down the street and back on her way out of the village.

It would take maybe half an hour to get back to the Shrine, as long as there were no other distractions. Walking, she munched on one of the pastries, savoring its taste as well as the damage she'd done to the Moriya store. _That made up my day_ , she smiled.

Insects flew this way and that, and she swatted at them with a free hand. "Man, what is with these things today?" She complained out loud.

The walk would be over soon enough, and she'd be able to enjoy a nice cup of tea as well as her bounty as soon as she made it back home.

- **At the shrine** -

Shikieiki had just finished her tirade regarding the politics of Youkai Mountain and her dislike for their shameless newspaper tengu. Wriggle attempted to listen as intently as possible, but inevitably found herself lost in the sea of moral incompetence that was spewed at her.

"-And even if they were tactful about their articles, I'd have them tried in court for defamation and emotional distress, not to mention the constant invasions of privacy! But it's not under my jurisdiction to do so… lucky them. All I can do is lecture them and hope something sticks. Anyways, Wriggle?"

The bug youkai snapped to attention from her reverie. "H-huh? Ah, yes?"

"Any word on Reimu?"

"Oh, let me check," she murmured and stopped a few bugs flying by. With a silent nod, she turned back and said, "Good news. Reimu is almost here, she's just a few minutes out now."

"Oh good," breathed Shiki as she stood up and stretched her stiff limbs. "I can finally get to what I've been meaning to do all day. Ah, not that talking to you wasn't enjoyable, I must thank you very much for that." She smiled and added, "I hope I didn't bore you too badly. People tell me all the time that I can get… carried away."

Wriggle stood and politely waved the matter away. "No, no. I learned a lot from you today, erm, I mean for what I could understand anyways, hehe."

"Great, now let's see…" Shikieiki began to walk to the front of the Shrine where the stairs were. "I'm going to wait for her here."

"Okay," Wriggle replied. She began to flutter her wings, lifting up and floating a few feet high. "I've already done what I wanted myself. I'm gonna head home now. Hope you get what you came for, and thanks again Shikieiki-san!"

"Take care Wriggle," nodded Shikieiki as she waved goodbye to the youkai. The girl flew off and disappeared over the tops of the trees.

A voice from the stairs brought her attention back. Reimu was walking up with a box in her hands. "Well, this is a surprise seeing you here, Yama." She eyed Shiki with a bored expression.

Chuckling to herself, Shikieiki turned and bowed in a friendly gesture. "Please excuse my intrusion, but I came to have a chat with you today."

Her eyebrow quirked up in curiosity, slightly incredulous. "Chat? Don't you have better things to do?" She began to walk back to the house, looking back at the judge following behind. "Did something happen over in hell again?"

"…something like that," responded Shikieiki.

"Huh, I was right."

Following her, the Yama continued, "It's about my assistant, Komachi Onozuka."

"The lazy slacker, right?"

"Yes. I need someone as her temporary replacement."

Reimu laughed. "You mean her _permanent_ replacement." The box slipped out of her hand as she was setting it down on the table in the house. With a scowl, she opened it up to check the contents, taking one out and inspecting it closely with her mouth.

"Hmph, as useless as she is, I've grown quite attached," replied Shikieiki. "Truth is, I'm here to see if you are interested in being the replacement."

The pastry nearly fell out of her mouth as Reimu gagged. She looked at the judge with incredulity, sitting down silently and returning to munching.

"The job pays very well, as long as you keep up, and it's only for a week more at the most."

The miko stopped eating, her ears perking up in interest. "… money huh? I… suppose I could use the money."

"Yes, it is a job."

Reimu stood up and grabbed the judge's hand, shaking it. "Deal. I'll do it. So, when do I get paid?"

Shikieiki wrestled her hand free and shook her head. "Not yet, though your excitement is duly noted. First, I must evaluate your compatibility."

"Sure sure, let's do it."

"Good, now I'll begin. You've already shown eagerness for the job, good. Next: Are you capable of handling heavy spiritual pressures?"

"I beat you up once, right?"

"Valid point. Moving on. I'm going to tell you a scenario, and you must choose between a few choices. Here we go: A man has dropped his wallet in front of you. The streets aren't busy, and it's just you and him. Do you: A.) Pick it up and return it? B.) Yell after him. C.) Return the wallet and ask for a reward? Or D.) Take the wallet and walk away?"

Reimu contemplated for a few seconds, but quickly answered, "I'd keep walking and let the man suffer the consequences of losing his wallet."

Shikieiki narrowed her eyes. "Interesting answer. You are willing to look at the situation differently, and chose an action that was neither right nor wrong." She focused on the miko for a few seconds before smiling. "And you passed. It is important to not take a side as a judge. Though you will not be judging any souls, it is important you do not hold bias towards any you ferry across the Sanzu."

"Of course I passed," gloated Reimu. She couldn't admit aloud that her real intention was to circle back after the man had long gone to get the wallet. "So, am I done yet?"

"Almost. There is one final test."

"C'mon, let's get it over with."

"Impatient, but fine. For this test, you don't need to do anything. Or rather, it's what you've _already done in the past_.

"What?"

"I will now use my mirror to view you past life. It is important that you are fairly pure, and innocent."

Reimu fidgeted a little, but nodded. "O-okay then."

Shikieiki pulled out her mirror and gazed into it, focusing on the past of Reimu Hakurei. "Let's see…" She faced the miko, so whatever it was she saw, Reimu could not.

"Mh-hm. I see… yes… yes… hmm."

It felt like ages as Reimu waited uncomfortably, unsure if she could pass after all, the silence only punctuated by the occasional quips from the judge.

"So far Reimu," she began, breaking the silence. "Your life has been filled with… questionable acts, but you haven't committed any serious crimes. As a maiden, I can see you are pure enough to be the replacement. Now then, let me just finish up he-" She stopped short, her visage twisting into a frown. Putting the mirror away, her gaze leveled onto Reimu, staring the shrine maiden down.

"Shikieiki? What's wrong?"

Her face darkened. "One hour ago, you were in the human village. What were you doing there?"

Reimu smiled and pointed at the box on the table. "Just getting some sweets. What's wrong with that?"

"Okay then, afterwards?"

"I came right back."

The judge stepped forward, her eyes seeming to drill into Reimu. "Do not lie! You stole, did you not?"

She couldn't move. An invisible force seemed to hold her still, preventing her from speaking or focusing any of her powers. Reimu couldn't escape. _Is this her true power?! I've never felt this before, I can't move!_

"I, Shikieiki Yamaxandu, hereby declare your sentence. For the crime of theft, I shall lecture you until your morals are corrected!"

The force restraining her dissipated, letting Reimu fall to her knees. She panted heavily, caught by surprise and angry at herself for being powerless.

"Now, I shall impart upon you the lesson of your wrongdoing." Shikieiki sucked in a deep breath, and was about to launch her tirade when a sudden gust of wind picked up, interrupting her. A voice called from overhead.

"Heeeeya! Whatcha guys doin' down there? Got a scoop for me?"

The familiar form of Aya Shameimaru, premiere newspaper tengu and paparazzi, settled down in the shrine, her black wings beating up a small dust cloud. Jotting down a few notes on a pad of paper, she quipped, "hmm, I suppose I could make a news story out of this. M-hm." Shooting inquisitive looks to the two staring at her blankly, she added, "Am I interrupting something?"

Reimu spoke up first, quickly gathering herself and getting up. "N-no, she was just helping me up after I tripped. Uh, nothing's going on."

"Huh. Alright then." Aya began scribbling some notes, muttering, "Judge of the dead threatens local miko, grudge?"

"No, don't write that you damned-"

"Now, now Reimu, I do have something to tell you," said Aya as she fluttered just out of reach of a pair of strangling hands. "And it has to do with those vampires over at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

The miko paused, her interest piqued. "The vampires? Are they up to something again?"

"The vampires?" Shikieiki inquired. She hadn't had much contact with them before, or with many of the other residents of Gensokyo to tell the truth. Her work in hell kept her there most of the time, save for an occasional day off here and there.

Aya tapped her cheek with a pen, thinking quietly for a moment before saying, "yeah, I haven't seen it for myself, but rumor has it they're planning to black out the sun again. People have been reported missing from the village, and some of them have supposedly been spotted near the mansion."

Reimu thought she had taught them a good enough lesson during the Scarlet Mist incident, but it seemed like they were trying again. Were they really going to repeat what happened so many years ago? And what about the villagers? What kind of motive could they have for kidnapping people?

As she puzzled it out, Aya added, "I was actually heading there myself just now, and was gonna see if Reimu would join me. But what a surprise it was to see you here, Enma-sama."

"I was only here on business," replied Shikieiki.

"Oh, but this might be an opportunity for you to see for yourself the moral depravity of the Scarlet Mansion."

"Depravity?"

"Yes," she continued. "They have no shame. They're always rude to guests, hold disgusting shows of perverse nature, and treat their maids like slaves."

Clearly offended, Shikieiki nodded her consent to go with eagerness. "I see. I'll have to straighten them out myself. Ms. Hakurei?"

Reimu snapped to focus and looked up.

"You will accompany us?"

"You're coming, right?" Asked Aya.

The miko begrudgingly nodded, sighing. She couldn't ignore this, especially if it meant a new incident. "I guess I'll go then. It beats laying around all day anyways. Maybe even beat up a fairy or two."

Shikieiki shot her a glance, but Aya cheered, "Alright! We're a party now, just like in those RPG games. This'll make a nice article…"

"Whatever, let's just go."

Stepping in close, the judge whispered in her ear, "Your lesson is not over Hakurei."

Reimu would have to figure out a way to escape later.

"Also, shouldn't you ask about that missing person?"

 _Missing person?_ Ah. Sighing, she turned to Aya. "Have you seen Marisa?"

"Oh, Marisa? Yeah, she's been at the mountain looking for shrooms. We had some great drinking nights over there, but she left yesterday." Aya leaned in close with an inquisitive tone, adding, "She's missing too isn't she?"

"Don't get so close, and yes."

"Well, that's a great addition to the article. Juicy scoops just keep popping up, I'm so glad I came to visit today."

Shikieiki stepped forward. "Reimu, it's possible Marisa is at the Mansion."

 _It was possible, and that damned magician did have a penchant for visiting that place all the time_ , thought Reimu to herself. "Yeah, she might be. Let's not waste time and go."

"Agreed."

"Yay, let's go!" Chimed Aya.

Without another moment's delay, the three girls flew up and out over the shrine, heading towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Reimu had forgotten about her pastries, and about locking up the Shrine, but she didn't care at the moment.

Light was beginning to fade, and the sky was already turning the dusky orange of coming night, the air cool and clear. Birds avoided them as they flew, and a few faces peeked at them from out of the trees below.

Eventually, they arrived over the Misty Lake, passing its cloudy surface.

"At least we weren't attacked by that one dark orb youkai, whatever her name was, and that stupid ice fairy isn't around either," mused Reimu.

The mansion came into sight at the far shore of the lake. It was starting to get too dark to see the water below, the lights from the mansion their only guiding beacon.

As she passed over, Reimu noticed something on the beach. It was hard to make out details, but there appeared to be shapes on the shore, a large collection of things strewn together. The others didn't seem to notice however. They were already over the courtyard of the mansion, so she decided not to bring it up yet.

A single maid awaited them as they landed. "Welcome, we've been expecting your company." With a bow, she continued, "Sakuya Izayoi at your service."

"Oh, the maid's here to greet us?" Quipped Aya.

"Come, I will lead you to your rooms inside. Mistress is busy tonight, and I imagine you are all very tired."

"Hold on," Reimu cut in. "How did you know we were coming?"

Sakuya politely smiled. "We have many sources we get our information from. It is vital to be prepared at all times."

"Huh, alright… then." She decided not to press further.

Shikieiki remained silent, observing and remarking to herself, making notes on everything as they followed Sakuya inside. So far, Aya's information was… incorrect. _Did she purposefully trick me into coming?_ The judge made a silent promise to lecture her later.

The group stepped into the foyer, Sakuya turning around to address everyone. "Any questions before I show you to your rooms?"

"Yes, actually," Reimu replied. "There have been rumors going around that your mistress is planning another incident, and abducting people. Is that true?"

The maid responded with a calm smile, "No, no. It's not like that at all. Ojou-sama has no reason to capture villagers, and she does not intend to repeat the incident regarding our lovely home like last time."

"Really?"

"I assure you, we are planning nothing of the sort. Now, if you have no further questions, please follow me to your rooms."

Reimu shrugged and nodded, figuring it was better to leave the investigating for later, under less... scrupulous eyes. Aya was busy scribbling notes, and Shikieiki silently tipped her head in acknowledgment.

They followed Sakuya down a few corridors, eventually pausing in front of three doors marked with their names respectively.

"Tea will be sent shortly, and the fairy maids will awake you in the morning. Anything I can do for you before I go?" Asked the maid.

Nothing stood out. Sakuya bowed politely and disappeared down the corridor with an elegant grace.

When she was gone, Aya piped up. "So, find it odd that they're being so nice to us?"

"Yeah, something's definitely up," agreed Reimu.

Shikieiki looked at them in incredulity. "They seem very nice and welcoming to me."

"I wasn't lying to you when I said they were bad people," replied Aya.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm not sitting around and waiting to see what happens next," remarked Reimu. Let's go poke around a bit, maybe we'll find something interesting.

The others agreed.

"But, where should we go first?" Asked Aya.

"Maybe the library or something. I bet that Patchouli might tell us some-"

At that moment, a loud crash came from down the corridor, interrupting Reimu mid-sentence.

"What was that?" Startled, Aya hovered in the air, her wings flapping nervously.

"I dunno, but it's probably worth checking out. Let's go."

"Oh, maybe it's a ghost, _ooooooooo I'm a ghooooost_ ," she moaned.

The other two looked at her in disgust.

"Come on, I'm just kidding. Ghosts don't exist."

Shikieiki shook her head. "I see them all the time, let us go."

They carefully made their way down the dark corridor, being silent to avoid suspicion, their only light coming from candles hanging from the walls. A large double door soon blocked the way. Beyond, the faint sound of someone scuffling around could be heard.

"Ready?" Asked Reimu.

Everyone nodded.

The doors opened to reveal what appeared to be a kitchen, its white walls and surfaces testament to the meticulous level of care it received. Save for the large pile of pots and pans in the center.

"Ack, dammit," cursed a voice from under the rubble. As whoever was trapped underneath struggled to free themselves, Aya floated over and started snapping photos.

"These'll make a nice headline," she mused, angling for a perfect shot.

"Huh? Who's there?!" Cried the voice. "When I get outta here, I'm gonna tan yer hide!" With a guttural roar, the pile was ruptured to reveal a very angry, and very familiar black and white dressed person. "YAAAH! There we go- huh?"

Everyone looked on in shock. Standing before them was none other than Marisa Kirisame, the missing magician.

"Marisa, what are you doing here?!" Reimu questioned.

Aya remarked, "Told you she was here."

"Shut up," commanded Shiki as she elbowed the tengu.

The ordinary magician smirked, digging her hat up and plopping it on her head. "Jus' out and about, lookin' to score a book or two. Turns out, they were expectin' me this time and gave me a room n' everything."

"They did the same for us," Reimu replied with scowl.

"That right? Huh, maybe they're changin' their ways or somethin'?"

"No, you wouldn't believe that would you?"

"Nah."

Reimu crossed her arms. "Something's up, and we're here to find out what. You in?"

"I've been here since yesterday with nothin' to do, so, yeah."

"Great," She said with a smile.

"So, what now?" Chirped Aya.

Reimu Paused for a moment, considering the situation. "We are going to visit the library like before. If there's something going on, then we'll definitely know," she said nodding to Marisa.

"Gotcha," the magician confirmed. "But uh, what about the mess?"

"Let's just leave it for the fairies and get out of here. Someone's bound to come soon with all this noise."

"Then, it's settled?" Asked Shikieiki.

Everyone agreed, and with their fourth member, exited the kitchen quickly. Aya was furiously scribbling notes again, cheering, "Alright, we're a full party now!"

Marisa led the way, as she was most familiar with the path to the library. It was a quiet walk, the only sound coming from their echoing steps. The flickering candles casted dancing shadows on the walls.

They soon came to a fairly non-descript door, un-marked and otherwise, showed no indication that it led to their destination.

"This is one of the side entrances into the library," assured Marisa with a grin. "I use it all the time, since, ya know, they started ta figure out where I got in after a while."

Stepping through, they followed a short, musty path to another door, similar to the one they came through before. They opened it to find themselves in the great expanse of the library.

Shelves upon shelves, and books upon books adorned what was only describable as a giant stadium of literature. Of course, it was fittingly named, "The Great Library," and for very good reason.

In the very center where Patchouli's desk stood, the party was greeted to a surprising sight. Sakuya was tied to and laid upon the desk like a sacrifice, while a gleaming knife was held over her heart by none other than Patchouli Knowledge herself. As they walked in, the library's magician looked up and noticed them, smirking insanely, before plunging the blade down.


	3. The Mansion

Border of Good and Evil Ch.2

"The Mansion"

It happened faster than the eye could follow. The knife over Sakuya's heart plunged downward with a wicked flash.

"Nooo!" Reimu screamed in horror.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. However, the blade never pierced its target. Patchouli leapt out of the way just in time as a brilliant spear of crimson light struck the spot she was just standing in.

Reimu looked up to see the mistress of the mansion, Remilia Scarlet, in the middle of the great library. A look of vicious anger burned her visage as she moved forward with Gungnir in hand.

Patchouli rose up menacingly, her eyes dark and evil. She smiled slowly, and spoke with an unsettling detachment. "Hm hm, amusing. I'll play with you for a while, I suppose." Her smile stretched wider and wider, becoming insane and ghastly. "And be sure to have fun with me too!"

The vampire roared ferociously and bared her fangs. "You are not Patchouli Knowledge! Whoever you are, I will have your life for harming my maid!"

The impostor that stood before them was decidedly not the real Patchouli. Reimu studied her intently, but if it was an illusion, the disguise was perfect. Save for the creepy personality.

Shikieiki called out to her allies. "We need to focus! Whoever this is, they are powerful, and I can't read them in my mirror!"

The others nodded. Reimu used her spellcard ability, yelling, "Fantasy Seal!" and launching a flurry of yin yang orbs. As they exploded in a display of fiery light, Aya flew forward to rescue the incapacitated Sakuya, returning her to safety and cutting her bonds.

"Sakuya! Sakuya!" The tengu tried again and again to bring the maid to consciousness, but she remained limp and unresponsive. "Hey, something's wrong with her!"

A chuckle came from the spot where Reimu's spell had struck. It grew to a slow laugh, louder and stronger, until it became a roaring screech. The smoke cleared, revealing Patchouli, or the impostor, without a single scratch. "HAHAHA! Interesting! Very Interesting! Your friend over there won't wake up any time soon, so you know. You'll have to beat me if you want to save her."

"What have you done?!" demanded Remilia in frustration as she leveled her spear at the librarian.

"Oh, just a little seal of mine. The only way to break it, is to break my connection with it." She leaned forward and grinned. " _And that means_ _breaking me_."

Remilia screamed in anger and charged once again, leaping forward without hesitation and aiming Gungnir at her throat. Marisa leveled her hakkero and launched a powerful master spark at the same time, hoping to catch their enemy off guard.

It was no use. Patchouli easily deflected the beam as if it was merely water, and then struck the vampire so quickly and powerfully that she was sent careening back into a shelf.

With a feral roar, Remilia rose to her feet, and charged forward once more. Strike after strike, slash after slash, the two parried and dodged one another with a speed and ferocity that Reimu had never witnessed before. The vampire was not holding back at all, pressing with all the power she had, her blood thirst similar to the time of the Scarlet Mist incident. Yet, it was still in vain. In the smallest instant of an opening, Patchouli struck forward with one hand, blasting her with a powerful beam and smashing her into a wall, incapacitated.

A smile slowly stretched across her face as she turned to Reimu. "Fun, but still not enough. Interesting use of your hakkero I must admit," she added, looking at Marisa.

"Impossible…" Reimu's face betrayed her anger. Deep within her heart, she felt a small twinge.

Fear.

For the first time in years, she was scared.

"Hey, don't go wussin' on me, Reimu!" Marisa looked over and chided her. "I'm scared too, but If we're gonna beat her, we gotta work together!"

The magician's words rallied her spirits, and she calmed down, nodding and focusing her spirit energy. "Aya, Shiki, protect Sakuya. We'll handle this," she commanded.

"Got it," they answered together, retreating behind a shelf with the unconscious maid.

Patchouli looked amused. "Very well, but you will all fall eventually. It's only a matter of time before I get to you."

"Let's go Marisa!" Reimu yelled and flew forward.

The magician followed suit, and they launched a dual sided attack against the librarian. But still, the results were no better than what happened with Remilia.

Marisa stepped back. "Hey, we can't beat her with weak attacks like this. Let's go all in with a really strong one!"

Reimu nodded, and began to focus. She pulled out a spell card and aimed at the smiling Patchouli. "Here we go! Divine Fantasy! Heaven Seal!" A barrier formed around their enemy as a barrage of yin yang orbs blasted at her. Beams of light appeared, shooting in an impenetrable curtains at the trapped impostor. The last thing they saw was her grinning face as she exploded in a catastrophic implosion of fire and light.

As the smoke cleared, she emerged untouched and began to laugh yet again. "AH HA HA HA! Still, you cannot hurt me! Why do yo-" But was cut short by a chuckle behind her.

Marisa had flown in behind as the spell landed, preparing for a hidden attack. With a smirk, she held the hakkero point blank and uttered, "Ultimate Spark."

A brilliant beam of energy engulfed Patchouli's screaming form, the light so bright that it blinded Reimu. Able to see again, she saw Marisa standing triumphantly.

"Heh, wouldn't ya look at that? Not so bad if I say so myse-" The magician stopped mid-sentence as her eyes glazed over.

"Marisa?!" Reimu stepped forward in worry.

A familiarly haunting laugh echoed throughout the library, erupting into a roar. As Marisa crumpled to the floor, completely insensate, Patchouli stepped forward and bowed. Still, she was untouched, even though the beam had engulfed her completely.

"Im-Impossible!" The miko stared in disbelief, a knot forming in her stomach.

"Very good. But still… you already know what I'm about to say," said the mad librarian as she began to form a seal sign. "Well then, it's my turn now, so don't die!"

Reimu braced herself and put up a shield barrier as Patchouli yelled, "Hell Seal! Devil's Demise!" She struggled to maintain the shield as a flurry of dark orbs collided with it, desperately thinking, 'She's too strong! I've never seen seals like this!'

Just as she was about to lose control, the attack ended. Reimu collapsed to her knees, energy drained. She gasped for air, clutching her aching chest.

Patchouli, began to step closer.

A blur whipped past the depleted miko. With a frown, Patchouli moved her hand with lightning speed, plucking Aya out of the air easily and holding her by the throat. The tengu struggled intensely, but gradually weakened until finally, she went limp. She dropped to the ground, crumpling in an unconscious heap.

"A-aya!" Reimu gasped and struggled to her feet. Whoever it was they were facing, she was too strong, and every second longer a dark despair grew within the miko.

"Reimu!" Shikieiki had stepped out and was preparing to launch an attack. But before she had the chance to focus, a bolt of lightning struck her unconscious instantly.

However, this was enough time to allow her to regain the strength to stand, but she was still too weak. She could only grit her teeth as the impostor stepped closer and closer, smiling insanely.

Patchouli laughed uproariously, saying, "Don't you see my dear Reimu? None of you are strong enough for me. What I have planned for Gensokyo will pass without a problem if the only resistance is this! But, I can tell. You have the potential."

Reimu tried to focus her energy, but it was no use. Her spiritual power was depleted and would not recover in time for another attack, or defense. "What do you mean, potential?"

"We are more alike than you may realize."

"Never."

"But we are, and you will come to understand this in time, when you understand who I am. This visage is but an illusion, as I'm guessing you already know. The girl who I copied was incredibly weak compared to you, a mere speck."

"What do you mean, when I understand who you are?"

The impostor began to speak, but was interrupted as she jumped out of the path of another crimson spear. Flandre, Remilia's sibling, stood over her unconscious sister with a look of rage. She cupped Remilia's cheek in one hand, a single tear dropping down onto the unconscious girl's pale white skin, and then turned to face Patchouli. With Lavateinn in hand, she charged forward ferociously without restraint, crimson eyes burning with hatred and blood lust. "I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed, aiming her spear at the librarian.

Just like her sister, she struck at her enemy, but inevitably was no match. Knocked away again and again, she continued to rise and fight, her wounds growing numerous.

Patchouli laughed, enjoying the fight as the vampire's blood splattered her dress and painted the floor.

The battle gave Reimu time to focus. 'No point in holding anything back now,' she thought while pulling out a golden talisman. Drawing deeply within herself, she released her ki flow, tapping into the inner spirit. With a newfound energy, she yelled, "Infinity Seal! Forbidden Mark of God!"

Time seemed to stop. Flandre and Patchouli were silently locked in an eternal moment, the blood droplets from the vampire's wounds floating in the air. The world seemed to revolve around them at this very point, existence bending as reality shifted.

A dark pulsating orb appeared at Reimu's fingertips. She launched it forward, and as it struck her target, the orb grew, before collapsing in a self-imploding black hole. Reimu grabbed Flandre and moved away, making sure they were a safe distance as the spell finished. It was like the big-bang condensed into a small event that covered only Patchouli.

After it was over, time seemed to move again. Flandre stumbled forward, confused as she looked around bewilderedly. There was no sign that the enemy survived.

But she did. Reimu realized that Patchouli had disappeared. With a dark despair clutching her, she looked around desperately with the last of her strength. The spell should not have obliterated her, but sealed her in an unbreakable bond made of the fabric of existence itself.

Completely depleted this time, Reimu then fell onto the floor, gasping desperately and barely conscious. Flandre noticed something and with a feral roar, launched towards the desk that Sakuya was previously tied upon.

Patchouli stood there laughing again, but she had not escaped unharmed. Her dress was torn, and there were a few cuts on her body, but the seal was not made. "Ha ha ha, very good Reimu! I expected no less!"

"GRRRAAAAAAWWW!" The vampire girl lunged with a beast-like cry, her eyes blood-red.

The librarian looked over in annoyance, muttered, "Enough," and with one hand blew her away into a defeated mess by her sister.

"Now," she continued, dusting off her dress. "Shall we go on?"

"Who… are… you?!" demanded Reimu between lungfuls of air.

She laughed. "Do I really have to spell it out? I'm-" Her eyes became vacant for a second, and she sighed. "Actually, I am out of time. We'll have to do this again some other day."

The miko struggled to her feet, barely able to stand, consciousness fading in and out. "Wha… do you… mean?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" As she said this, her appearance began to shimmer,Patchouli's visage fading away and being replaced by a beautiful woman. A red and white Shrine Maiden dress adorned her, with intricate designs and seals upon it. Her hair flowed down past her shoulders, and deep hazel eyes looked upon the world with an indescribable depth.

"What?!" Reimu looked on in shock as the woman turned away smiling, disappearing into the shadows of the library. 'A shrine maiden?' Without thinking, she limped after her as fast as she could.

Diving into the darkness, her only goal became to catch the woman, exhaustion making every step like lifting boulders that grew heavier and heavier. The faint sound of laughter ahead guided her through the endless blackness.

Before she realized it, the darkness had given way to a corridor of the mansion, the candles on the walls flickering as she limped past. A faint silhouette ahead was all she could see of the mysterious shrine maiden.

The woman never seemed to get closer, or farther as Reimu chased desperately. It was like she was playing a game, her haunting laughter echoing throughout the hall.

Stumbling, Reimu fell to the ground and was unable to move. She was completely out of energy and barely aware of her own gasps for air. As she lay there on the edge of consciousness, approaching footsteps caught her attention, and she forced herself to look up.

The maiden stood over her. Reimu could see the woman clearly now, and was struck by how beautiful she truly was. Without the illusion, her voice was smooth as silk and warm as the morning sun. But something about her was strangely familiar…

"My dear Reimu… You've grown so much all these years," she began. "But now is not the time for reunions. You must get stronger before we meet again, Gensokyo depends on it." She bent down and stretched out a hand, light emanating from it.

A burning heat engulfed Reimu and she silently cried out in pain. But it was over quickly, and she lay on the floor, her vision fading.

The woman's voice sounded distant. "Follow me if you can." She dropped something on the floor and began to walk away.

The last thing she could see was the maiden turning and disappearing into the darkness, her final words echoing: "Earn your inheritance." Those words haunted the miko as she finally let go of consciousness.

Darkness. The land of Gensokyo was decimated, a desolate plain that echoed a shadow of it's once vibrant earth.

None of the inhabitants that once thrived here were left, only their ghosts that whispered upon the dying winds. Crimson rained from the sky, painting the ground scarlet, neither day nor night. Nothing remained but the ruin of the Hakurei shrine, it's decrepit foundations a stark reminder of the catastrophe that occurred.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a lone shrine maiden, her long flowing hair fluttering with every breath of the wind. She laughed soundlessly, the corpse of the last shrine maiden limp in her bloodstained hands, lifting the body and crushing it down into the earth. All was lost. Gensokyo was no more.

The woman looked straight ahead and began to mouth words, silently at first, but slowly gained volume. "ei… imu… Rei…. REIMU!"

With a jolt, Reimu shot upright, awakening from her nightmare. She could still remember it clearly. ' _What…was that?'_

"Reimu!" Marisa was standing beside her with a worried look. She seemed unharmed, as if last night never happened. "Ya alright? You were tossin' and turnin' and makin' all sorts of noise while you were sleepin."

"...Sleeping…?" It dawned on her as she looked down that she was laying in a comfortable bed, the white sheets splayed out. Warm sunlight streamed in through the windows of the room. "How did I…"

"You're in the room Sakuya brought you to last night, before the library business."

Reimu began to remember. She set out yesterday with Shikieiki and Aya for the Mansion, and then found Marisa here. After that, they went to see Patchouli, but in the library… "Wait! Is everyone alright?!" she shouted.

Marisa shushed the distraught miko, reassuring her saying, "Don'tcha worry a bit. Everybody's fine, in fact, they're waiting for ya outside. There's something you've gotta see, so I'll explain the rest later."

Questions circled her mind as the miko began to climb out of bed, gingerly at first so as not to upset any injuries. But surprisingly, her body felt fresh and energized, not a single scratch on it. With mild surprise, she got up quicker and stretched, yawning loudly and enjoying the feeling of being alive. The only strange thing was a prickling sensation around her stomach. Opening her dress, Reimu gasped in surprise as she revealed a seal engraved upon her skin. "What is this?"

"Whoa, you been gettin tattoos lately? Isn't that like a taboo for shrine maidens or somethin?"

"No, no. I… I don't know how this happened." As she tried to touch it, a burning heat engulfed her body, leaving Reimu gasping for air and dropping to her knees.

Marisa rushed over and helped her up on her feet. "Hey hey, you alright?!"

Breathing heavily as the pain subsided, she responded, "I-I'm fine now. It's… _it's a seal_." Thinking back to the previous night, she remembered fighting the impostor Patchouli, and then chasing after her when she revealed her true form down the mansion's corridors. But every time she got closer to what happened, images of the nightmare kept interrupting her thoughts.

"A seal? Like, what do you mean? Is it like the kind that you use?"

"It is, but it's beyond anything I've ever seen. I can't even get close to it, let alone dispel it."

"Sooo, did that fake Patchouli do this to ya? I mean, whoever she was, how'd she make a seal like that?"

Reimu gently pushed the worried magician back, standing up straight. "I don't know, I can't remember everything. There are a lot of mysteries that last night brought up, but the answers aren't so easy to find."

Marisa reached over to a table by the bed and picked something up. She then presented it with a look of expectation. "It's a peach thing. Y'know, that celestial stuff. We found it by you last night."

"A peach?" Reimu took it and examined the item closely. Indeed, it was a celestial peach. More fragments from last night began to form, but the nightmare continued to push back. ' _The peach… I remember… that woman was a shrine maiden as well… but why did she leave this…?_ '

"Anyhow," began Marisa, ushering Reimu towards the door. "Let's just go outside for now. I'm sure something'll come back to ya with a little fun and rest."

"Fun?" Her eyebrow quirked up in curiosity.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go."

Walking down the corridors and out the main entrance, Reimu was greeted to a very odd sight that she never expected. A huge party was going on along the shore of Misty Lake where fairies, youkai, and humans alike were having fun and partaking in festivities. The sun was bright, it's eminence tanning the patrons that were laying out on the hot sand. As she looked up, she noticed a strange veil covered the sky, almost undetectable, but it shimmered slightly.

Leaving the thought to be answered later, she followed Marisa towards the beach. On the way, they came upon a commotion. Patchouli's assistant, Koakuma, was running a lottery table, an excited group crowding around her. She stood in an orderly manner with her usual business-casual attire, despite the heat. The machine upon the table was a simple ball game. You paid some money, spun the crank, and if a colored ball popped out, you won a prize.

"Thank you very much everyone for participating today," called the assistant. "Next, let's wish Ms. Shameimaru luck! Go ahead and spin!" Aya stepped up, apparently unharmed from yesterday (except for a reddish hand mark around her neck), and gave it a turn. A white ball popped out.

"Oh, too bad, better luck next time," consoled Koakuma as the tengu floated away with shoulders slumped.

Marisa whispered, "Hm, I kinda think that hand mark looks pretty darn good on someone like her, ze?"

Rolling her eyes, Reimu stepped closer, and was noticed by the calling assistant.

"Ah! Would you look at that, we have a special guest! Ms. Hakurei, why don't you come try?" called Koakuma with a wave and a smile.

The crowd opened up to let them through. Hesitantly, she drew up to the lottery machine, eyeing it with uncertainty. "I don't like making a gamble I'll probably lose," grumbled Reimu.

"For you, the first try is free. Why not go ahead?"

"Free huh? Alright?" Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped up and turned the lever. The crowd "ooo-ed" in expectation.

Nothing came out.

Everyone fell silent. Koakuma wasn't sure what to do as she stuttered, "W-wow, um. I uh, I-I don't know how to score that, uh…"

Grinning, Marisa came up and patted her friend on the shoulder. "Well, you know what they say: sometimes no luck is good luck, ze?"

"Whatever, let's just find Remilia so I can figure out what's going on."

Koakuma waved awkwardly as they left. "So sorry, but thanks again!" She yelled after them, "Mistress is on the beach!"

They continued on along a stone path, dodging the occasional ball, until a huddled group of fairies, Cirno being one of them, blocked their route.

Shikieiki stood in the center of the mass in her total lecture mode, pressing down upon their grimacing forms with moral force. "...And that's why you don't go throwing snowballs around so carelessly! Innocent bystanders can get hurt!" A little bit of white powder was melting off the side of her face.

"We're sorry!" apologized the fairies in unison. They bowed again and again, begging for forgiveness.

As Reimu and Marisa got closer, she noticed them and snapped out of it, nodding in greeting and smiling. "Good morning you two. It is excellent to see you in good health Reimu, we were all very worried after last night."

"It seems like everyone is alright to me."

"Yes, well, none of us took lethal wounds, so a little healing magic worked wonders."

Reimu boredly shrugged, walking around the group with Marisa just behind her. "We're going to see Remilia and get some answers."

The judge closed her eyes and prepared to launch another tirade. "Very well, she can tell you what is going on. I will be around, if you need me."

Waving, the girls went on their way, Shikieiki's voice saying, "That's correct. Now, repeat after me…" fading into the distance.

A little further on, and their feet were digging into the hot sand of the beach. It was like you'd expect, there were masses of humans, fairies, and youkai frolicking here and there, watersports, and the constant plague of sandy underpants. Looking around, they spotted Remilia lounging under an umbrella with Sakuya beside her. Flandre was playing nearby with a group of fairies, trying to blast them with her magic.

Remilia called out to them as they got closer, Sakuya bowing respectfully. "Over here you two! Welcome to the Scarlet Mansion Beach Bash!" Sweeping an arm around to present her party, she continued, "Enjoy yourselves today, as thanks for yesterday."

Reimu looked at her with doubt and incredulity. "Shouldn't you be burning under the sun? Kinda weird that a vampire is hosting a _beach party_ of all things."

Sakuya answered, "It was milady's whim; they do not get much opportunity to go outside."

The vampire nodded, "With just a few variations to our Scarlet Mist spell, we created this: a shield that blocks the sun, but still let's it through, so those harmful rays that hurt me and Flandre are rendered ineffective." She smiled proudly. "Well, more like it was Patchouli's work, the real one I mean. We found her last night tied up in her private study."

"So… the rumors that you guys were starting another incident, was this?"

"That's right."

It made sense. The shapes Reimu saw as they arrived last night were just boxes of equipment and miscellaneous items set in preparation for today.

"The humans reported missing… what about them?"

"I paid them to work here for a week. You can see them here and there."

Any matters that existed were laid to rest. The only thing left was to address the impostor who got in and stole Patchouli's image.

Breathing in deeply, Reimu asked, "So, what do you know about last night?"

Sitting down and curling her fingers under her chin, Remilia thought in silence. She looked up and said, "I don't know. What's certain is that whoever they are, they pose a threat to all of Gensokyo. But we don't know what their goal is either."

"What about you, Sakuya?"

The maid shook her head. "I was unconscious. When visiting the library to deliver Patchouli's tea, the impostor who I thought was the real her surprised me and…" she trailed off, looking down ridden. "But when I came to, everyone was hurt and unconscious, so I proceeded to move them and nurse them back to health. It didn't take long before we were all able to search for you, Ms. Hakurei, and then Marisa discovered you in the corridor."

"Didn't that impostor say that the only way to save Sakuya was to beat her?"

Sighing Remilia shrugged, "That's what we heard. But apparently whatever she did was dispelled. It's almost like she never intended to kill any of us, which I'm certain she could have easily."

Reimu felt discouraged. They were getting nowhere, and the mysterious woman could have been plotting something somewhere. But she couldn't tell them the whole truth, not yet. She couldn't tell them that the impostor was a shrine maiden like herself. For now, it would be best to go with the only clue they got: the celestial peach.

Marisa got tired of standing around and said, "Heya, enough with the mopin' and stuff, let's just relax today, ze?"

"Oh, Marisa. I forgot you were with me."

"Ah, c'mon Reimu, I'm your best friend!"

"Don't touch me."

Remilia laughed. "She's right. Let's not fret about this now, and enjoy the day, please. We can continue this discussion later, I promise I will have something to help you."

Sakuya bowed and with an elegant motion, "If you would follow me, there is a tent to change into more appropriate wear this way."

"Well, might as well not ruin the hospitality," quipped Marisa, already hopping after the maid. "C'mon Reimu!"

With a sigh, she acquiesced and trudged after.

They came upon a large green tent, just like they were told, and given separate bundles.

"These are swim suits tailored for you specifically," said Sakuya. "Once you've changed, place your old clothes with the baskets inside, and we will have them cleaned and mended by the end of the day. Enjoy your stay with us." With a bow, she disappeared back to the beach.

Marisa opened hers to reveal a two piece, black and white, suit. "Oh my, they got my favorite colors right too!"

Reimu's was a red one piece, modest and unrevealing.

"Ehhh, they really paid attention ta' detail, didn't they?"

They changed in the tent, the magician making perverted jokes all the while.

"Hey Marisa, how come you haven't gotten all this stuff already? I mean, weren't you outside?"

Pausing with her jokes, she answered, "Actually… no. When I found ya, I hurried to get everybody. After we got you to your room, Sakuya offered to show me back to mine, but… but I wanted to stay with you." She began to twirl a lock of hair bashfully, her skin reddening slightly. "Y'know, I just really needed to be with you…"

Something throbbed in Reimu's chest. She looked at her friend in surprise, suddenly noticing how soft her skin was, how her eyes seemed to sparkle, how full her lips looked…

"But y'know, I guess I was worried for nothin'. I mean, you're Reimu after all, you kicked my butt before, heh."

"Marisa."

"Huh, yeah?"

Her face reddened more as Reimu drew closer, cupping the magicians cheek in one hand.

"I… were you really that worried about me?"

She stammered, "A-ah, y-yeah, I uh… I really was, I mea-"

A strong hug silenced her. The miko's warmth could be felt through their clothes, her heartbeat slow and steady. Marisa's pace quickened.

"I was worried about you too…"

Reimu leaned in, closing her eyes. Closer, and closer, they were only seconds away from-

"Heeeeeeey!" A small voice called from the tent entrance. Wriggle Nightbug stood there waving with an innocent smile. "Whatcha guys doin?"

Splitting apart faster than two positive ends of a magnet, they spun around out of breath, faces red.

"It's soooo good to see you guys. Have you seen Shikieiki-san? I wanted to thank her for yesterday again."

Rubbing her face to rid it of any sign of what was just about to happen, Reimu nodded and answered, "Yeah, she's been, uh, around here. She's lecturing some fairies again."

"Oh, okay. Thanks! Bye!"

The innocent youkai girl hopped away, leaving the two alone again.

"Y'know what, let's just forget that happened for now, ze?"

Reimu's heart dropped. She slowly nodded, "...yeah, let's just go outside and relax."

They finished changing, depositing their old clothes into the baskets, and stepped out, heading back towards the beach. Along the way, Marisa kept stealing looks at the girl walking beside her. Could they really be…? No, she shook her head. They were both girls, but still…

The rest of the walk ended in silence. Returning to the beach, they were immediately swept up by a group of partygoers, drawing them into their laughing, boisterous antics. They enjoyed themselves all day, absorbing the hot sun, and partaking in all the things that were offered. It was as if their encounter in the tent was merely a strange dream, easily forgotten.

Before they knew it, the sky was already turning orange, the night beginning its approach.

Having just finished a game of watermelon smashing on the sand, Reimu wiped a bead of sweat off her brow and looked up. "Evening already? Marisa!" She called out to the magician nearby.

Marisa was busy performing a magic show for a small captivated audience, mixing potions and vials like a mad chemist. Tossing one high into the air, it exploded in a brilliant display of colors and lights.

The crowd cheered, and she continued with a bow, "Alright, I've got one more! Here comes the big one!"

Mixing two potions together into a roiling concoction of rapidly changing colors, she made a big show of herself, bowing and flourishing her hands like some kind of street performer (well, she was). With a big wind up, she threw the bottle far over the shores of Misty Lake with surprising strength, snapping her fingers with a smirk just as it exploded in a complex light show of color, sound, fire, and intricate moving patterns. A great fiery dragon grew from within the madness, coiling up to the sky and roaring before exploding itself in a final punctuation to the show.

Roars erupted from all over the beach. Not a single patron was unimpressed, making Marisa bow even deeper and deeper, waving to her fans before running up and joining Reimu.

"Ya see that? Pretty cool, ze?"

"Yeah, let's go already." As hard as she tried to play cool, there was a constant tug at her heart as Reimu walked with the magician off the beach and back towards the mansion.

Remilia and Sakuya awaited them, as well as Aya and Shikieiki.

"Reimu," began the vampire as they approached. "I understand you'll be leaving now?"

Nodding, the miko looked at the tengu and judge, awaiting a response.

"Huh? Are we supposed to say something?" Aya fluttered her wings quizzically and instinctively pulled out a pad of paper.

Marisa filled in the blank with, "Yeah, she's givin ya a stare that's sayin 'ya comin with us or not,' and she's not a real patient type."

"Ah, right. Yeah, Shiki and I are coming along of course. We started this whole thing together, let's finish it together. What a headline! I'm gonna write that down…"

Remilia continued, "So then, do you have any leads or direction to go? Anything that might help?"

"Actually," began Reimu, "A celestial peach was left with me when the intruder escaped. I think it's some kind of clue, so our best bet is to go to heaven and confront Tenshi."

"Ah yes, Tenshi. She's the strange celestial with all those peaches, right?"

Reimu nodded.

"Very well, allow me to at least aid your journey. Sakuya?"

With a flourish, the maid produced a backpack, handing it to the miko.

"There are provisions and supplies for what will no doubt be a long and dangerous quest. I would go with you myself, but the events of last night have raised questions and mysteries that I must attend to here."

"Of course, it only makes sense."

"Ms. Hakurei? Thief-san?" Sakuya held a couple bundles in her hands.

"Thief?" Marisa looked incredulously at her. "I'm not that bad."

Presenting one to each of them, she added, "these are your cleaned clothes, washed and mended."

"Oh, right. Thanks!"

After the two girls changed in a bush nearby and returned outside, they handed back the swimsuits graciously, before joining the rest of their party.

Aya was busy scribbling notes as they finished. She paused every so often to think before continuing. Shikieiki was silently observing everything around them.

Remilia smiled and curtsied with a royal elegance. "Thank you again for coming, but I must bid you farewell now. Safe journey!" She gracefully turned and began towards the mansion with Sakuya in tow.

After they had gone, Shikieiki spoke up with a bemused tone. "Hm, well, they _really aren't_ such bad people now, are they?"

"I wasn't lying," quipped Aya.

Reimu cut in, "Whatever. I think we should make a few stops before heading to heaven right away. Considering that who we fought last night destroyed us, it would be safe to get a bit stronger along the way there."

Aya smirked and wrote a note on her pad. "Are you _sure_ that we're not part of some kind of RPG or something?"

Ignoring her, she continued, "Let's go see Alice at her home in the Forest of Magic. By this time, she would have closed up the shop in the village. Also, I believe _someone_ made a promise to her to visit."

Marisa threw up her hands. "Ahhh alright! I suppose she could help us too."

"Man, what a scoop! I can't believe I got involved in such a big deal, this has gotta be-"

Shikieiki grabbed the tengu's hand before she could make a mark on the notepad. "Don't. You. Dare. We must **Not** let this get out publicly, it could spread panic. For now, we must take care of it as quietly as possible."

"Alright alright, jeez. Ow… my hand."

"I think the red hand marks look good on you," quipped Marisa in an amused tone.

Aya shot her a mean look.

"Are we ready to go?" Reimu looked at the others expectantly.

Everyone nodded (Aya rubbed her wrists), and the party lifted off from the courtyard, flying back over the Misty Lake in a scene reminiscent of the day before.

Night fell as they flew over Gensokyo, passing a few friendly fairies that waved going by, and soon were gliding over the Forest of Magic. Spotting the clearing that marked Alice's home, Marisa signaled the group to follow, leading them down into it.

Luminescent mushrooms lit up the area, dispelling any fear of the dark that the girls might have had. A nice home sat in the middle of the clearing, with a sign out front that read: "Margatroid." It was a stark contrast to the sweets shop in the village.

"Ah yes, quite the location…" Aya floated around curiously, poking at the mushrooms.

Shikieiki walked around in wonderment. "Amazing, such a beautiful place… I really must get out more often."

"Okay, okay, let's just see if Alice is home," Reimu impatiently muttered.

"Ahead of ya there!" Marisa leapt forward and hammered on the front door of the house. Expecting some kind of angry response, she stepped back and waited patiently. Nothing. Frowning, she tried again, applying extra strength that rattled the windows. "Huh, nothin. I don't think she's here guys."

"Not here?" Reimu rubbed her chin in wonder. "But, she would have come back from the village by now, right?"

A loud explosion came from beyond the house in the forest.

"That's probably our answer, let's go!"

The party hurried forward into the darkness, the occasional mushroom lighting their way, but used the sounds of what seemed to be fighting to lead their path. They suddenly burst into a clearing similar to the one the house was in, but instead found Alice struggling against an unknown opponent. She was fighting back as hard as she could, but was steadily losing ground.

"Aghhh!" She screamed as a slash broke through her guard and cut her arm.

"Alice!" Marisa yelled, jumping on her broom and flying as fast as she could.

The injured puppeteer scrambled desperately away from her attacker, turning to see a black-white magician racing towards her.

Marisa tossed a smoke bomb to cover her rescue, scooping up Alice, and leaving behind a magic bomb. As they got away, the smoke was cleared by an explosion, a figure flying out of it and landing across the clearing.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, setting the girl down gently on the grass.

"Marisa…. Reimu… Aya and Shikieiki?" Alice looked around confusedly at the party before her. "W-what? What are you guys doing here?"

"It doesn't matter now, let's just fight off whoever that is that got you. You're lucky we arrived when we did," said Reimu.

"You don't understand, the person that attacked me, it's… it's…"

As she tried to explain, a roar came from across the clearing. The unknown assailant began to walk towards them, her movements twitchy and unsettling. She moved unnaturally, like some kind of horror. Stepping into the light of the mushrooms, her identity was revealed.

"S-Sanae?!" Reimu looked in disbelief. "What?!"

The girl across from them was the priestess of Moriya Shrine who took care of two living deities, a frog and a snake. It was hard to believe she was responsible for this.

Alice calmed down and began to speak clearly. "It's Sanae, but she's not normal. Something is wrong with her."

"Reimu, that girl is being possessed!" Shikieiki stepped forward with her mirror in hand. "Whoever is possessing her is shrouding my mirror, but I can still see the spell. It very well may be who attacked us last night."

Aya scribbled madly in her notepad. "THIS IS INSANE. THANK GOD I CAME WITH."

"You should be worried!" Yelled Alice in frustration. "She's waaaay stronger than a normal person. I could barely defend myself!"

Another growl came from Sanae as she began to run, her voice disembodied and ghastly. "REIMU… REIMU…. PROVE OR DIE!" Leaping wildly high into the air, she used a spellcard and began launching lightning-snakes at the party. Reimu pulled out her own and card and began to focus, saying, "Fantasy Se-" But as she was about to attack, her body was engulfed in a fiery pain, and all the energy she had dissipated. With a soundless cry, she fell to the ground gasping. Straining to look up, she braced for the attack.

"Reimu!" Marisa swooped her up and out of harm's way as the attack landed. The other girls took care of themselves, dodging away.

"Hey, are you alright?!" Helping the miko steady herself, she waited until Reimu could stand alone.

Between breaths, she gasped, "My… my powers… they've been… sealed!"

"How?"

Reimu thought back to the mansion. She had felt this pain earlier today when she tried to break the seal on her stomach, and the night before in the corridor. The mysterious shrine maiden must have put it on her then. How powerful is she?!

"I'll tell you later, for now, we've gotta fight Sanae off," she gasped, groaning and getting into a fighting stance.

"But what can you do if you can't even use your powers?"

"I don't know!"

"Look out!" yelled Aya as Sanae charged again. She quickly picked up Reimu and Marisa, pulling them away from a devastating explosive attack.

"Man, she's way stronger!" Remarked Marisa as she was set down on the grass.

Shikieiki fired a few blasts towards the possessed girl to stave her off. "Not her power, but likely the one controlling her."

"Like Alice's puppets!"

Alice protested and stomped her foot. "No way! What's going on with her is way creepier!"

Marisa looked over at Reimu, with a worried frown. "Are you sure you can fight?"

"I don't know… but we have to beat her somehow!"

Sanae grinned insanely, dodging out of the way of a laser with inhuman speed, landing on one foot and swaying back and forth. She suddenly charged forward, hands raised to attack.

Reimu stood her ground and raised her own gohei.


	4. Perspective

Border of Good and Evil Ch.3

"Perspective is a Two Way Street"

The Moriya Shrine wasn't a happy or interesting place. No one visited it, nor did anyone take care of it. Hidden away in the mountains, it was forgotten by Gensokyo for decades.

All of this changed when a child entered the lives of the two deities, Kanako (a serpent god), and Suwako (a frog god), bringing purpose back into their daily existence.

They found her when she was just an infant, wrapped in a blanket and left on the front steps of the shrine. There were no notes, clues, or anything that indicated who her original family was. So the gods took her in, a spark of compassion igniting in their hearts that held no love for a long time.

"What should we name her?"

"Her?"

"Yes, it's a girl."

"… how about… Sanae."

"Mmm, I like it. Sanae… It has a nice ring to it."

"Then so be it, welcome to our family, Sanae Moriya."

Years passed, and the three grew closer, their bond as a family strengthening every day.

"Kanako?" A wide eyed Sanae on her twelfth birthday tugged at the serpent god's dress. She held a teddy bear in one hand.

"Yes?"

"Ummm…" The young girl fidgeted uncomfortably.

"What is it?"

"Well, I um, I…" No matter how much she tried, she was too afraid to speak.

Sighing, Kanako knelt down and cupped her face with one hand, smiling gently. "Sanae, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't get angry, really."

"Well… okay. I accidentally… I broke the thingy in the front."

"You mean the statue that I've told you not to touch?"

"See! You got mad at me!"

"No, no, look, I'm not mad."

"You're not?" A pair of innocent eyes looked up with hope.

She shook her head. "It's fine. Today's your birthday, and it's the day you officially become a shrine maiden."

The young Sanae cheered with glee, hopping forward and hugging Kanako's dress. "I love you, Kanako-sama!"

Suwako peeked around the corner, smiling at the motherly display she just witnessed, and walked away as quietly as possible. It was up to her to clean up the broken statue, but perhaps it was for the best. The statue depicted the old versions of Kanako and herself standing over dominated humans and prisoners.

More years passed, and Sanae grew quickly, exceeding their expectations of her as a young woman, a shrine maiden, and a priestess. She was almost perfect in every way: beautiful, compassionate, charismatic, and highly skilled in the spiritual arts. By the age of 16, she mastered all the techniques they taught her.

Sanae also travelled to the village frequently to volunteer her time and to spread news about the Shrine. Before long, people came to know her as a local saint, praising her for her good deeds and welcoming the girl every time she arrived. Her popularity aided in the promotion of the Moriya Shrine. Visitors began to travel there every day, their numbers increasing.

One day, a crying young boy ran up to her clutching a bloodstained handkerchief. He grabbed at her dress, sobbing into it, unable to speak through the heaving tears. Surprised, she knelt down and wiped his face, speaking as softly and gently as she could. "Young man, what's wrong? Please, you can tell me."

"S-shrine lady! It-i-i-i-it's momma! She's-she's sick, and and-"

Hugging him tightly, Sanae quieted the distraught boy. "It's okay. It's okay. Show me where she is, and I'll help her."

With a nod, he ran down the street urgently, looking back to make sure she was following.

Before long, they came to a large gate on the outskirts of town, a burly guard standing watch. The boy said something to him that Sanae couldn't hear, his face suddenly quirking in surprise and looking at her. He nodded and motioned to enter, holding the gate open. She passed quickly, bowing to him before following the boy quickly down a stone path towards a beautiful mansion.

Fast-walking along the path, they passed through a beautiful courtyard with a fountain in the center, and finally stood before the doors of the great building.

"This is my home. Momma's inside," said the boy as a he talked to another guard at the door. Like at the gate, this man motioned for them to enter, but as she passed, he whispered, "Please, help."

It was all a bit much for the young shrine maiden to handle. She was used to the dusty sprawl of the village, and the overgrown forestry of the shrine. But here, the floors and walls were immaculate, reflecting a great deal of care that no one person could accomplish. It had an air of elegance, decorum, and grace. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung above them in the foyer, and a grand staircase led up the second floor landing. Paintings of regal men, women, and children adorned the wall, who she assumed were the previous members of the family line that owned this property.

Pointing to a door beneath the stairwell, the boy led Sanae towards it quickly. "Here, she's in here."

As they were about to open it, she overheard voices from inside.

"Here, water. I'm sure a doctor will come soon, just hang on milady."

They walked in, a maid and bedridden woman turning to look at her in surprise. The maid held a towel and pitcher in her hand, while the sickly woman clutched a white handkerchief with splotches of wet crimson upon it.

Hurrying over, the attendant grasped Sanae's hand tightly. "Are you a doctor? Please, please, we beg of you, help milady, please!"

The shrine girl shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm not a doctor."

Hands falling away, a look of despair came over the maid. "…you… can't help us?" Her voice shook, barely a whisper.

The young boy had run to the woman's side, crying into the bedsheets. She stroked his hair gently, cooing soft reassurances to him. "Don't cry honey, don't cry. I'll always be here, don't worry." Her smile was weak, but warm, and her eyes loving and tender.

"Mommy!" The boy cried harder as she comforted him.

Sanae looked at them and then to the maid. The pain in her heart grew, until she could stand it no longer. "I will help; I'm a priestess of Moriya Shrine."

The boy's mother spoke, surprise in her voice. "You… are the maiden… everyone speaks of?"

She nodded.

The woman smiled. "You are more beautiful… than the rumors tell."

"Please don't speak too much. Allow me to perform a miracle." Sanae began to approach, but was stopped by the maid.

"It's okay, Cynthia. She is trustworthy."

Apologizing, she moved aside, allowing her to stand by the bed.

Closing her eyes, Sanae placed her hands on the mother's chest. Warm light began to emanate from the spot where her hands rested, and she prayed as hard as she could. "Please, I ask of you, may the gods look upon this mother, and heal her. I ask for a miracle, please!"

A blinding flash illuminated the room. When everyone could see again, the woman was lying down, eyes closed and unmoving.

"…Mommy?"

Silence.

"Mom…!" The boy grabbed her hand and cried into it.

Cynthia fell down into a chair, defeated and withdrawn.

Sanae stepped away, sorrow filling her heart.

Suddenly, she stirred, her hand resting upon her son's head. She opened her eyes and smiled. "I'm here." Slowly sitting up, she stretched and began to climb out of bed.

The maid was bewildered. She wasn't sure what to do at first, but hurried to help her mistress.

The son stared in disbelief, and began to cry again. But this time, they were tears of joy.

"Milady… are you alright?"

She nodded, gently pushing her away. "I've never felt better. Please, I can stand." Her face was a healthy color again, and her voice began to regain its strength, its booming nature indicative of a strong will. She knelt down and hugged her crying son, kissing him gently on the forehead before striding over to Sanae. "Thank you, I am indebted to you with my life. Ayane Kochiya-" she extended out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Sanae returned the gesture, shaking hands and stating her own name.

"Everyone in the village speaks highly of you, young lady. Though, I never could seem to catch you while you were in town, well, that is until now."

"Oh no, please. I'm not special. It's more important to me to help people in need."

With a laugh, Ayane motioned for her to follow. "Haha! You truly are a saint. Come, let me show you something – oh!"

Her son was standing in front of the shrine maiden, looking up at her with innocent eyes. "Th…Thank you!" He blurted out, and then ran from the room, face red.

Ayane chuckled, "Hm hm, it seems like Kaze has taken a liking to you."

"Kaze? Is that his name?"

"Yes. He's never opened up to anyone before, let alone run up to a stranger on the street and asked for help – not that you're a stranger to anyone." She smiled. "But come; allow me to show you something special."

Sanae nodded, and followed her out to the foyer and up the grand staircase. Reaching the top, Ayane gestured for her to look out the window.

What she saw was breathtaking. The land was green and forested, untouched by the taint of civilization. Here, it was a primal view of Gensokyo that the girl saw. "It's… it's beautiful. This land, it's yours?"

Nodding, the mistress looked out another window with her hands behind her back in elegant grace. "Yes. This land was handed down to me from my ancestors. Generation after generation, the Kochiya family watched over and protected this forest. "Turning to Sanae, she continued, "and if it weren't for you, this land wouldn't be ours to protect any longer."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well," she turned back, gazing thoughtfully at the beautiful greenery. "If I'd passed away, the Kochiya family would've lost its holdings and prestige. I have no successors you see."

Sanae looked at her in confusion. "But, what about your son?"

"He is my son, but not by blood. I found him abandoned in an alleyway, just an infant. It would've been wrong to leave him, so I took him in as my own."

"So, even if you adopted him, he can't inherit the land?"

"Not until he becomes an adult. If he were related to me, then it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, I'm the last Kochiya by blood alive."

"I see. I'm glad that you took care of him. Having a mother in your life, when you have no other family…"

Ayane looked at her curiously, but decided not to say anything.

They gazed out in silence for a few moments more until Sanae stepped back and bowed.

"Thank you very much for showing me such a wonderful place. It's beautiful. But, I must return home now."

Ayane bowed in return. "I understand. And thank you, again. There is nothing I could do to repay you for saving my life, and saving my family."

"Please, don't worry about it," she replied, waving her hands. "You're okay, and that's enough to make me happy."

"Well then," Ayane stepped closer and put her hand on the maiden's shoulder. "I'll visit your shrine. In fact, we'll all come. Your gods need worshippers, right? Let us thank you that way."

Sanae was surprised, but smiled warmly. "Of course!"

She stepped out into the courtyard, waving goodbye. Following a guard down the stone path, she soon reached the front gate. While passing through it, the men standing watch bowed to her, expressing their gratitude.

The shrine maiden smiled, and went on her way home, satisfied and happy of what she'd accomplished.

A few days later, Sanae was tending to the front of the shrine: dusting, weeding, and all sorts of stuff, when a loud commotion came from the steps. Setting her work aside, she walked over and waited for what was no doubt a rowdy group of visitors.

"Ms. Shrine laaaady!" A young boy appeared first, running headlong into her dress, and hugging her for dear life. "Shrine Lady!"

"Oh! Kaze?"

Surprised, she looked up to see Ayane Kochiya and her large entourage of attendants coming up.

"Sanae! I've come like I promised!" Ayane waved and stepped up, petting her son's head. "Let go of her now, Kaze."

He grinned widely at the shrine girl and detached himself, running off to explore while a couple maids chased after.

"Ayane, it's good to see you, and your family, I assume?"

"Mhm. Maids, gardeners, butlers, cooks -we're all family at the Kochiya estate. We've come today to pay our respects. If it's alright?"

"Of course, we appreciate it."

"Thank you. Now then, where…?"

Sanae bowed and motioned for them to follow her into the shrine, leading the visitors into a large hall. "Please pray as you'd like. I will lead in a group prayer for those interested."

The people set themselves down, most sitting in front of the shrine maiden as she began a program. A few people were by themselves scattered around the room, wanting privacy for matters they kept secret.

Just outside in the hallway, Kanako and Suwako peeked in, the noise getting their curiosity.

"What's going on in there?" The serpent god scratched her head in wonder, glancing back at Suwako.

"I dunno, looks like a bunch of worshippers," she replied.

"Should we say hi?"

"Mmm, maybe later."

After they had finished, Sanae and the Kochiya family returned outside, Kaze and the two maids that were with him coming out of another part of the Shrine.

Ayane turned to her, a serious look in her eyes. Everyone else was bowed in respect.

"Huh?" Sanae blinked in surprise, unsure as to what was happening. "Uh, Ayane?"

"Sanae. I would like to ask you something."

"Yes?"

The head of the family bowed deeply to her and said, "Ms. Sanae, we would like to welcome you to the Kochiya family as one of our own. If you would accept, we would be very grateful!"

"Oh! Ummm, I uh…" She wasn't sure how to respond, the proposition taking her completely off guard. "I uh, I'm not sure if I can, but-"  
A voice called from behind. "Sanae."

She whirled around. Kanako and Suwako stood there smiling. "Go ahead, you deserve a good family name," said the serpent god quietly.

"But, you're…"

"We are, and we always will be," she continued. "You should be a part of a human family too. Suwako and I can't keep you prisoner here forever: there's a whole life ahead of you that you'll need to be a part of."

The girl fell silent. Her emotions were in a tangled mess, and she didn't know what to do.

Suwako hopped forward and rubbed Sanae's head, standing on her tip-toes to do so. She looked her in the eyes with love and compassion and smiled. "It's okay. We will always be here. You'll always be a Moriya."

"Sanae?" Ayane called out to her, eyebrows quirked up in expectation.

She turned and bowed silently, replying after a long pause. "I… I accept your offer graciously. Thank you."

Cheers went up, a joyous rancor taking the people. Ayane grinned and grasped her hands, saying, "Welcome to the family, Sanae Kochiya!" Looking around the girl, she added, "Oh, I don't mean to be rude, but who are they?"

Sanae brightened and replied, "Oh, they're the deities of the shrine."

Silence fell over the crowd. Stunned faces stared in bewilderment.

"Th-they're the gods?!"

"Uh huh. We've been together since I was a baby. That's the serpent god, Kanako."

"Hey."

"And that's Suwako, the frog god."

"Hiya!"

Stunned silence. Suddenly, knees began to hit the ground, apologies filling the air. Ayane did so similarly, stammering, "I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! I didn't know they were gods, forgive us! We didn't mean to take her from you!"

Sanae tried to console them, but no one listened. "No, no, it's not like that, please, you don't have to-"

Kanako's booming voice stopped the cries of repentance. "You people!"

Trembling backs froze.

"Stop sniveling! We have allowed you to accept our daughter as part of your family! Be happy!"

"…daughter?" Sanae looked over at her in surprise.

She smiled back. "That's right. Our daughter."

Tears came to the shrine girl's eyes and she ran forward, hugging the serpent god in a sobbing embrace. Kanako held her gently, rubbing her hair with love.

Suwako hopped up and started blowing bubbles over everyone, splattering them with water.

"Huh?!" Cries of surprise accompanied their upturned faces.

"You guys don't need to kneel like that, we don't mind. It's just weird y'know."

The people looked at each other hesitantly, but slowly began to rise.

"There ya go! Much better!" Suwako began to hop around gleefully, rubbing up against anyone she came near, eliciting pats on the head.

"Oh, she's so cute! I can't believe she's a god!"

"Eh, what's to worry about? If they're really this lenient, then let's let loose!"

Everyone began to warm up and laugh like before, the serious air gone.

Ayane chuckled and rose herself, approaching Kanako and Sanae. "I couldn't take her away from you, not like this."

"No, I still accept," replied Sanae, wiping her tears and turning to face her. "It means a lot to me."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes."

"I see. Then…" Ayane fell silent and thought for a moment. "Then you'll just have to be part of two families then. A shrine needs its priestess right? Sanae Moriya Kochiya, how's that? You'll be one of us, and-" she gestured to Kanako. "one of them."

Kanako smiled. "Sounds good to me. A Moriya and a Kochiya. Sanae?"

She smiled and nodded. "I agree. Thank you!"

Ayane grinned and turned to leave. "Alright then, let's go everyone; it's time to return to the mansion. And Sanae-" She turned back and bowed. "Thank you for having us. Don't forget to visit your new family from time to time."

Just as they began to descend the steps, she turned once more and waved. "We'll be sure to return as well!"

Sanae waved back and smiled.

Their steps echoed and faded into the distance.

She stood staring after they had gone, a wave of emotions falling over her. A hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"So, how do you feel?"

The girl closed her eyes. "Happy. Happier than I've ever been. And a little nervous."

"Good."

Suwako hopped up and nuzzled against her hand.

"Suwako-sama…"

"Let's go inside, we'll have a party for you tonight," said Kanako with a grin, guiding Sanae back towards the house.

She nodded, and the three went inside.

A couple years went by, and the shrine was still as busy as ever. With the addition of the Kochiya family, and the promotion they did for it, Kanako and Suwako began to regain their powers as deities, the faith being generated causing them to become more aggressive and arrogant, returning to their past selves once more.

Their power became too great, and they began to orchestrate a grand incident. It was during this that Sanae met Reimu for the first time, having only heard rumors about her in the village. Surprisingly, she never managed to encounter her there personally, either due to all the people that crowded her constantly, or that Reimu was very secretive and never got close to anyone.

Despite how much she'd grown though, she was no match for the Hakurei Shrine maiden. Still, Sanae's charismatic and kind personality wouldn't allow her to hold a grudge. She was overjoyed to know that there was another maiden like herself in Gensokyo.

After the failed incident, the two Moriya gods settled down, realizing that they needed to allow Sanae to live a happy, normal life, aside from her duties as a priestess. Life was good there on, and nothing could split them from their girl. She was their daughter.

The days passed happily for their family at the Moriya shrine. Sanae would venture to the village like usual, and also spend time with the Kochiya's, enjoying being a normal girl for once. Everyone at the mansion adored her, and she soon became the poster child for the family.

It happened to be one of these days as she went around town, that she overheard a group of fairies buzzing excitedly.

"Hey! Did you hear? The vampire mansion's holding a party today!"

"Yeah, it's gonna be awesome!"

"Do you think tha…"

Their voices faded out of hearing as they turned a corner.

"Party?" Sanae's curiosity was piqued. She decided to find out herself, and made up her mind to go to the SDM. Perhaps it could be fun, she thought to herself.

Leaving the village, she began to fly there, passing over the trees of Gensokyo, the cool air rustling her hair. The Forest of Magic appeared below her, it's mystical boundaries exuding a magical aura. A single dead tree caught her attention.

Finding it strange, Sanae decided to investigate, gliding down into a clearing and stepping up to it. "Strange… it's like the life force has been drained away…"

The sound of snapping twigs surprised her, and she spun around to see a woman wearing red-white shrine maiden clothes standing a few feet away. She was beautiful, her long brown hair fluttering with every breath of wind.

"You are the Moriya shrine priestess?" Her voice was warm and smooth.

On guard, Sanae nodded slowly. "And you are?"

"Just a maiden from a little unknown shrine, but it's not important. Rather, do you see that tree there?"

Unsure of where she was going with this, the girl cautiously replied, "Yes. But why is it like that?"

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What?"  
She stepped closer, resting a hand upon the trunk of a tree and smiling. "Ghosts. As a priestess, you should be familiar."

Sanae remained silent.

"Let me ask you this then. Do you know what happens when a spirit stays in this world too long? I'll tell you." She paused and looked at the tree she was touching. "It starts to drain the energy of everything around it."

As the woman said this, the tree her hand rested upon began to wilt, quickly become a sickly brown color. Its leaves fell rapidly, fluttering to the ground in a lifeless pile.

"It only takes one touch."

Alarmed, Sanae jumped back, raising her gohei in defense. The air became cold and heavy, causing her to shiver and cough.

The shrine maiden before her began to slowly step closer, picking up a dead leaf and turning it over in her own palm. She smiled and continued, "But what happens when you're a priestess of life? Trapped in the border between life and death?" Suddenly, the leaf in her hand regained its vibrant color, and she dropped it to the earth where a patch of flowers sprouted as it landed.

"Stay back, I'm warning you!" Sanae backed herself against the dead tree that she investigated before. A deep fear began to take hold in her heart.

"Now now, don't be that way. I need your help."

An invisible force gripped the girl. She was paralyzed, unable to move, and watched with horror as the mysterious woman reached a hand out to her forehead.

"You see," she continued, her voice soft and kind, surreal against the dying forest. "There's someone very important to me that I need you to help. She's the key to saving this land. And-" A sadness came over her eyes. "She's the key to saving me." After a short pause, the woman kept going. "This won't hurt you. I promise. Once it's all over, I'll be sure to give you something in return."

Her hand rested against Sanae's head, its warmth seeping into her mind, numbing her body. The world began to twist and turn and she became less and less aware of herself.

"Please, for the sake of Gensokyo. I've been here too long, hiding in the shadows. But I can't stand by and watch over it any longer. I must pass the torch to the next generation."

Sanae's vision faded to black, her consciousness barely registering the woman's final words.

"Lead her to me, strengthen her. She is our only hope."

Everything ceased to be. The Moriya Shrine maiden fell into darkness.


	5. Things Hidden

Chapter 4

"Things Hidden Away"

Reimu dove out of the way as a well-aimed shot missed her by inches. Without her powers, battling against the crazed Sanae was proving to be difficult.

"Oi! Over here ya ditz!" Marisa was waving her arms with tongue stuck out, attempting to play a distraction.

With a growl, the possessed priestess turned her attention away from Reimu, lunging ferociously at the magician.

"Ya! Come get me!" She hopped on her broom and began zipping around, dodging a barrage of lasers. "Hey! One of ya guys do somethin!"

Shikieiki nodded and turned to Aya and Alice. "Let's try to pin her down. You fly in and get her to fall into one of Alice's marionette traps. I'll then attempt to dispel the possession."

"Got it!" Aya launched forward and cut in front of Sanae, giving her a slap on the face and saying, "This way you freak!"

"Graaaoooww!" Enraged, she chased blindly, straight towards a puppet net that Alice's dolls were holding together. Seeing the danger, she stopped short, but was knocked forward by a swift broomstick jab to the back.

With a feral cry, she tumbled forward, becoming ensnared in a mess of magically imbued strings.

"Will that hold?" Asked Reimu cautiously.

Alice nodded. "Yes, the magic in the strings drains energy, effectively weakening and nullifying a target."

"Huh."

Shikieiki began to focus her power. "I'm starting now. Whatever happens, don't let her escape."

A few moments passed in silence, nothing seeming to change. The judge was glowing lightly, a magical aura emanating from her. Sanae remained sedated, the puppet marionette magic apparently working well.

Suddenly, she began to thrash wildly, eyes stretched open to the sky, an unnatural gurgling coming from her throat.

The judge trembled, her brows pressed in failing concentration. "I-I can't hold it! The possession is too strong! I-"

With a loud crack, she lost control and was blown back. "Agghhh!"

"Shikieiki!" Aya flew around to help her. "Hey, you okay?"

With some effort, she grunted a 'yes,' and slowly sat up with a groan.

Alice's strings were starting to burn and snap, smoking intensely as she struggled to maintain them. "Her magic's too strong! It's increasing beyond what my puppets can handle! I can't take it for long!"

Reimu looked at everyone, searching for an answer or a clue. But there was nothing.

"I can't keep this up!"

Aya called out, "Reimu! Can't you do something? Are your powers really gone?"

"… I don't know," she replied slowly.

"C'mon, there's gotta be something! There's always a way to win in these situations!"

Perhaps there was, but the red-white miko wasn't sure if there was anything to be done. Sanae was suffering, her once frail form now ragged and bestial, a dark echo of her innocent self. She wasn't going to last long like this.

Reimu's gaze then connected with the flailing girl's. Behind those eyes was something else, like a cry for help, pleading desperately to be heard. But every moment that passed, the light grew dimmer, slowly engulfed by an abyssal darkness.

She was there.

Something clicked inside the shrine maiden. All the sounds of the world seemed to fade away, the faces of her comrades melding into the background, leaving only Sanae before her. A light enveloped everything, transient and interconnected.

Drawn by instinct, Reimu reached forward with one hand, the strings of the puppets falling away. Nothing mattered as she touched the priestess's forehead, a strange energy swirling inside her body. It felt like she was being drawn in, her consciousness melding into the flow of energy that was connecting them. Closing her eyes, Reimu let herself be swept into a dream, releasing her hold on reality.

With a start, she awoke and sat up gasping for air, the rocky soil of the riverbed uncomfortable underneath her. Looking around, Reimu realized she was sitting in a shallow river, surrounded by lush forest and greenery. The air felt fresh, and the sky was a clear shade of blue.

"Where am I?" She wondered out loud with a shiver, quickly getting up and making her way out of the cold water. As she got out, her soaked dress dried instantly. From the beginning, she knew something was off about this place. But now it was certain. Just where was she?

A movement on the ground caught her eye. Reimu walked over to what seemed to be a path through the trees that was teeming with little frogs and snakes.

"What the…?"

They were going the same way, a parade leading into the dark forest.

Figuring it was the best lead she had, the miko began walking, following them. Soon, blackness surrounded her, the thick sprawl of the forest shutting out all light.

She struggled to determine her location, but the sound of small steps drew her attention to a little girl, no older than ten years old with green hair, standing in the darkness. The girl glowed brightly, a light in the emptiness.

"Hey! Little girl!" The miko called out to her.

She merely turned and walked away, pausing to wait for her to follow.

With a shrug, Reimu decided it was her only hope to figure out what was going on, and began to follow.

They walked for what seemed an hour. There was no sound, not even the crunching of dirt underneath, or the murmur of the trees. Only the girl, a spectral beacon, showed the way.

Finally, a light appeared in the distance, an end to the infinite space. The girl paused to look back once more before steeping into it, disappearing.

Without hesitation, the miko hurried after, stopping only for a moment to prepare before stepping through.

Blinded at first, Reimu became aware of the feeling of wind upon her face, the smell of grass and earth, and the murmur of life passing by.

Vision returning, a sprawling landscape lay before the maiden, far below the cliff upon which she stood. It was pure wildland, as if the place had never before been touched by civilization.

'Am I in Gensokyo still?' She wondered to herself.

The girl she had followed was gone, replaced by another, maybe sixteen, standing at the edge and looking out with a forlorn expression. Her green hair danced in the wind, the blue-white shrine maiden clothes adorning her giving Reimu the only hint she needed.

"Sanae?" She called out, stepping forward cautiously.

No answer.

"Hey, Sanae? Where are we?"

Still no answer.

Reimu stood by her side and reached a hand out slowly, touching it upon the girl's shoulder.

A tear rolled down the priestess's cheek, her stricken eyes turning to face the miko.

"Sanae?"

"R-Reimu… do you see?" She began. "The way it was, the way it used to be... What have we done?"

Sanae shuddered, sobbing lightly, the hand upon her the only comfort found.

"I…" But Reimu could not find any words. She realized what was going on now. The one before her, and the one that led her here, were only projections in the girl's mind. Looking closely, she realized that this one was spectral as well, transient like a spirit.

"Reimu… Please… help us," she whispered, disappearing into the wind, leaving the miko's hand resting upon empty air.

"I will," she quietly promised. "I will."

The wind began to howl now, crying for Reimu to follow. It beckoned her to another place within Sanae's Gensokyo, and she felt the pull of its will.

Standing at the cliff's edge, she looked down, the great spread of the forest seeming to draw her in. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she fell forward, embracing the call of Sanae's heart.

There was no sudden impact upon solid ground, no upsetting transition. As she expected, Reimu looked around to find herself now standing in the middle of a village.

"The human village?"

No sooner had the thought escaped her that she spotted another spectre of the green haired girl. This one was closer to the Sanae she knew, but still a bit younger.

Walking closer, the spectral girl smiled and waved, seeming to be more conscious and aware than the last two.

"Sanae?"

"Yes, Reimu-san," she replied with a friendly bow.

"What's going on?"

"Well, you're in the manifestation of my deepest feelings, my soul."

"Huh?"

She smiled. "Think of it this way: the me you see is only one part of the full thing."

Reimu started to understand, and remembered what had happened- that she was drawn into Sanae somehow during their fight in the forest. "I see. So, what are you then?"

"I am my attachment to the village. You see, this place holds a great significance for me."

"So, the one by the cliff, and the dark forest…"

"All representations of something that has shaped me."

"Huh, okay."

Sanae motioned for her to follow. "Come with me, and I'll show you."

Reimu nodded.

They walked through the empty streets, their steps crunching on the dusty paths while the late afternoon sun casted a yellow tint over everything.

"You see," the girl began, "Everyone loved me here. They would always come to greet me."

As she said this, visions of the villagers began to appear. They too were ghostly, only an image within Sanae's mind, but waved and smiled silently.

"I'd come as often as I could when Kanako and Suwako-sama allowed me. It became a second home, the love from everyone giving me strength to move forward every day."

A villager walked up and presented a small package to her, which she accepted graciously. "And this," she added, "was a common occurrence. They were always there for me, helping me up when I fell, and to make me smile when I couldn't alone."

Sanae stopped and turned with a sad smile. "But it won't last forever, I know."

Reimu realized they weren't in the village anymore. A gate stood before them, with a grand mansion further beyond. "Sanae," she began. "I still don't know what's going on. How do I save you?"

She held out the gift from earlier, placing it in the miko's hands. Somehow, it felt real, despite having been from a spectre. "This will help you. Beyond this point, we cannot protect you. My soul has been shackled by someone with great power, but I know you can free me."

The other versions of herself appeared, fading into existence and standing by.

"When you are ready, step through. Please, Reimu. I am only able to show you my part, but hopefully we have done enough to make the path clear."

With a rush of wind, the gate opened, sucking the miko in.

"Wait, what do I do?!"

Sanae waved with a sad look. "Set me free."

Reimu flew forward, tumbling towards the mansion in a great blast of air that disoriented her. She began to lose consciousness, seeing the girls one last time before fading into darkness.

Waking to the sight of an evening sky, she sat up, the grass below her soft and comfortable. Taking in the surroundings, she found herself at the base of a hill, set within a great clearing that was surrounded by dense forest. Looking up, she could see a tree at the top. Figuring another Sanae would be waiting there, Reimu began to climb.

What waited at the top was startling, a far cry from how the adventure had been so far. Sanae was tied to the tree, her dress tattered and bloodied. Her skin was a sickly pale, seemingly drained of life, and she breathed shallowly, half lidded eyes staring down at nothing.

Reimu ran up to her crying, "Sanae!" She attempted to break the bonds, but they were too strong. Lifting the girl's chin up, she continued to call her name. "Sanae! Sanae! Can you hear me?"

"… mnng…" The battered priestess could only mumble weakly, green hair falling over her eyes.

"Sanae!"

It was no use. She could barely register Reimu's voice, let alone respond.

Still desperately pulling on the shackles, the miko looked around for anything that might help. There was nothing besides them but grass and rocks. "What do I do?"

A weak voice called to her. "Rei…mu. Re… mu."

"Huh? Sanae?!" Looking back, the girl had lifter her head. She was trying to mumble something, but the words weren't coming.

"What is it?! Sanae!"

"… Look… out…"

Suddenly, a shrill cry pierced her ears, dropping her to the ground. She gasped in pain, clutching her hands to her head tightly.

The splitting sound stopped, eerie silence settling over. Nothing made a sound, no soft breath of air, no murmur of wildlife, nothing. Then, a cracking sound like falling timber began to emanate from deep within the forest.

Reimu noticed something happening over the tops of the trees. They were turning a dead brown, as if their life was being drained away. The death was spreading and closing in around the clearing.

Alarmed, she turned back to Sanae, bringing their faces together. "Listen to me. I am here in your mind, your soul. I need your help."

Weakly, she replied, "… the woman… priestess… death…"

Still no use. Sanae was too weak to help, and whatever was coming was not good. Reimu knew she didn't have time before it reached them.

"What do I do? What…" She was at a loss. But a small spark reminded her of something.

Reaching into her pockets, Reimu discovered the gift from before. It contained something that according to the other Sanae's, would help. She opened it, revealing a collection of various items.

"Huh?" A surprised quip escaped her lips as she looked at them: a handkerchief, teddy bear, and what seemed to be a blank photograph. "What are these?"

The decay was coming closer, already to the edge of the clearing. Seeing no time to waste, Reimu took the items over to Sanae, showing them to her. "Look! Do you know what these are?!"

At first, her tired eyes did not understand what was set before her. But slowly, comprehension dawned, a flame rekindling.

Sanae's eyes grew wide, and she began to shake, weakly struggling against the bonds, but growing stronger.

"Sanae?! Are you okay?" Reimu reached out to her with a cautious hand.

She snapped to focus, color returning to her weak form. "Reimu… I… I remember now. I'd been locked away for so long, and my life had been hidden from me. Thank you. You've given me the chance to be free again."

"But what about your bonds?"

"I'll try to break them, but I fear that I can't until the decay is stopped." She paused, eyes looking past the miko. "Look! It's the shade!"

Turning, Reimu saw that the trees had finally been overcome, the death creeping across the small plains surrounding the hill. A black shadowy figure was walking slowly at the very head of the spread, every step killing the earth below.

"Who's that?!"

Sanae's eyes narrowed in anger, but a hint of fear crept behind her brave visage. "That is the shadow of the one who imprisoned me, a fallen priestess."

"Priestess?"

It struck her. The shade must've been the possession spirit of the shrine maiden that they were chasing after, though only Reimu knew of her true form.

"Reimu, you must not let her reach us! If she does with the corruption…" Sanae paused, "We will be lost forever."

"But how?"

"Look inside yourself. There must be a power you possess here to stop her."

"I can't. My abilities were sealed."

Sanae shook her head, "You are within me in spirit form. What you see is the core consciousness of myself. I am the logical manifestation of Sanae. Since you are here, you can similarly find the parts of yourself that have been sealed."

"Like I am in finding the parts of you."

"Yes."

Reimu breathed deeply, exhaling slowly. "Then I've got no choice."

"Concentrate deeply, and find your inner strength."

"My inner strength…" She let herself fall into a trance, the Gensokyo of Sanae's mind melding into the background. Something was there, a warm tingling in her heart. A light that she could almost reach. Almost-

"Reimu!" Sanae called out in urgency.

The shadow had reached the hill, it's shifting, aura-like visage, seeming to leer up at them.

"Got it!" Reimu felt the light that was trapped inside of herself and grasped it. "Fantasy seal!" With a cry, she unleashed her signature attack, the familiar power coursing through the miko. The yin-yang orbs crashed into the shade, its inhuman shriek drowned by the explosion of energy. The spreading decay stopped.

"Did I get it?"

Sanae shook her head. "No, it'll take more to defeat it. But any effort will give us time."

Almost on cue, the evil spirit cried out angrily and began pushing forward once more.

"Tch!" Reimu lined up another attack, aiming to immobilize it. "Fantasy Needle!" Her attack was a specialized energy beam focused on the legs of the shadow. They ripped it apart, throwing the creature to the ground. It flopped helplessly, but began crawling forward, slowly reconstituting its lost limbs.

"Keep stalling, I'm getting there," affirmed Sanae.

Her bonds were visibly weakening, straining against the pressure of the core consciousness.

"One more!" the next shot tore an arm off, but still didn't stop its advance. "Damn, is there anything that'll put that thing down?!" Reimu continued to fire, growing frustrated by her seemingly ineffective efforts. The decay was inching closer, already surrounding them on the hilltop, only a few feet away. Overhead, the blue sky began fading to a lifeless grey, and the air became heavy, making it difficult to breathe.

Suddenly the shadow stopped and raised its arm up towards the miko. It almost seemed to be asking for mercy.

"What is it doing?" Sanae asked cautiously.

"I dunno." Reimu maintained her aim, but did not deliver another blow.

Faster than she could react, the thing's arm shot forward, becoming a black tendril that pierced her chest.

"Reimu!"

Gasping, she fell to her knees, a cold numbness emanating from where it stabbed her. There was no pain, but it felt as though her very being was draining away, becoming empty.

A strange gurgling came from before her. The shade's face had a reddish slant across it, a disturbing horror of laughter. With slow pulling motions, it began tugging the miko towards itself.

"Reimu! Get a hold of yourself! Reimu!" The spectre on the tree called out, struggling desperately to break free.

But she could not hear. The darkness before her became more inviting with each passing moment, promising empty fulfillment. Reimu's final shreds of consciousness only registered a very faint danger. It didn't seem so bad to her, the closer she became.

The shrine maiden was limply dragged an arm's reach from the shadow. It reached forward with black tentacles, embracing her in a tangle of darkness.

Slowly, her hair began to grey and stiffen, and her skin paled and withered. Reimu's eyes became empty, her spirit draining away.

"Fight it! Reimu! Fight it!"

The last thing she knew was the sensation of being enveloped by nothingness.

Darkness. Reimu floated in an infinite blackness, half aware of existing. There was nothing here. Just herself and eternal peace.

But something was off. A recurring tugging at her mind that grew more and more intense. _What was it_? She wondered. What was interrupting her peace, her solitude?

A voice, called softly, but steadily gained volume.

 _Who was that_? No one she needed to be concerned with, surely.

But it continued to sound, suddenly familiar. Reimu turned her head to search for the source in the darkness. Something about it caused a spark in her own awareness, the miko realizing with growing horror that she was nothing.

She tried to yell, scream, anything to confirm that she was real. But the black emptiness swallowed her cries.

Still, the voice called, warm and reassuring. Reimu willed herself to find it, wishing with all her might that it would come. Eyes shut, she prayed for a light to guide her.

A hand touched her cheek, its softness tender and calming.

Reimu opened her eyes to see the silhouette of a woman, shadows preventing the miko from seeing her identity. But something about her was familiar, and comforting.

"Hello my dear. I trust you're taking care in the world. But now, here we are. Tell me, is it freedom you seek?"

The girl tried to speak, but her words carried no volume.

Seeming to smile, the woman chuckled. "But of course, why wouldn't you? Struggling here in this blackness, this empty and infinite death. You want the strength to live, and save the ones that matter to you." She moved closer, a hand cupping Reimu's cheek, tender and loving. "Do you want to live?"

Nodding she looked deep into her eyes.

"Are you sure? Do you truly have the will to grasp life itself? One more time. You want to live?"

Reimu paused a moment, willing with all of her heart. "I want life." The words came from her lips, shattering the silence of the infinite space they were in.

"Then take it," replied the mysterious woman, floating away and disappearing. Her final words echoed in the emptiness. "Find the light that gives life within you."

The miko understood. The darkness was smothering and heavy, threatening to extinguish her life. But there was another side to it. In order to counter the emptiness, she needed to summon love, and happiness.

She focused on the light deep within herself where her heart's true flame burned. Just like before when she rediscovered her powers, Reimu focused on all the things that gave her meaning, and existence.

Her feelings began to bloom, a small bubble of warmth, but soon, they grew into a great explosion of emotion, wisdom, and even became a transient understanding of life itself. Grasping this new power, Reimu focused as hard as she could, willing it to radiate and repel the darkness.

It worked. Slowly, the infinite space gave way to visions, shapes, and sounds. With a great fissuring roar, it crumbled apart, leaving the miko lying bewildered on the grassy hill in Sanae's Gensokyo.

The shadow lay before her, dissolving and scattering into the wind. Everything regained its color, as if nothing had happened.

"Reimu, you did it!" Sanae had been freed and ran over, helping the girl up. "Incredible. What you just did, I've never seen it before."

"Groggily, the miko responded, looking around at the revitalized forest. "What happened?"

"Well," began the priestess, "that dark creature covered you in its tendrils. It looked like it had eaten you. But then," she smiled and made a big gesture. "It blew apart, and you rose into the air glowing with an intense light. Everything started coming back to life, and that," she pointed to the last remnants of the shade, "was destroyed, freeing me."

"Huh." Reimu could only mutter a short reply. Something new stirred within her, a power that had lain dormant until now _. 'In all likelihood_ ,' she thought _, 'I won't be able to completely control it yet. Especially since I'm in my spirit form_.' She asked, "What happens now?"

"Even as we speak, I am awakening and you are resting beside me. Very shortly, you will return to reality."

A gust of wind picked up, and Reimu shielded her eyes. When it passed, the other spectres of Sanae stood before her.

"If it weren't for you," began the one from the village, "My mind and soul would never have been mended."

"So you're all together again?"

"M-hm," responded the one from the cliff. "You brought me back to life. Thank you."

The youngest smiled. "And thanks Ms. Reimu. I'd still be lost."

Smiling, Reimu bowed politely. "I've learned more about myself, thanks to you as well."

Another wind began to blow, this time lifting the miko gently into the air.

The oldest Sanae waved. "It is time to go. Take care of me in the outside world, won't you?"

Reimu nodded and waved goodbye to them. She was swept up into the air, spotting the teddy bear and handkerchief floating nearby. The photograph from before fluttered into view, its blank surface fading into an image of Sanae with Kanako and Suwako in a family photo. Closing her eyes, she let the wind take her away.

"Oi! Reimu! Hey, wake up!" Marisa slapped the miko, causing her to stir with a groan. "She's gettin' up!"

"Uggh." Slowly coming to, Reimu looked up into the worried faces of her party. Sanae lay beside her, also beginning to stir.

Aya was scribbling notes again. "Deadly encounter in forest, Hakurei maiden shows new powers. Massive exp. Gain," muttered the crow to herself.

"Are you okay, Reimu?" Shikieiki asked, politely extending a hand to help her up.

Accepting, she stood and looked around. It was still night, and the forest seemed the same as before.

"Aw, c'mon, it's Reimu we're talkin' about here, ze! Course' she's alright!" The magician slapped her on the back with a hearty 'thwack.'

"Hey, don't be so rough, she just woke up," said Alice in concern.

"Ack, don't worry about me. What about her?" Reimu gestured towards the priestess who was sitting up and groaning.

"Oh yeah. You alright Sanae?" Marisa hopped over to her, kneeling down and gently rubbing her back.

Coughing, she nodded slowly, blearily looking around. "What happened to me? I feel like I'd been under water for days."

"Reimu over there saved yer life with some new magic or something.

"Huh? Reimu san did?" Surprised, she turned her gaze to the Hakurei maiden. "I… I think I saw you in my dreams… or something. It was terrible, I felt like I was lost in a sea of emptiness."

"Yeah, just what was that thing you did back there, Ms. Shrine Maiden?" Aya was holding her pen and paper expectantly.

"It was certainly new indeed," agreed Shikieiki.

Reimu scratched her head. "I'm… not sure. It was just instinct or something."

Marisa shrugged. "Ya started glowin and stuff after you touched Sanae. Then, both of ya stopped movin, and now we're here."

"There was a vision… I think I learned something new."

"Like what?"

"… I'm not sure. Maybe I'll have a chance to show you later, but for now, we should get Sanae back home. Alice?"

The puppeteer had been busily mending her damaged dolls, and looked up. "Yes?"

"Will you come with us? To the Moriya Shrine?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. There's a festival in the village tomorrow I must prepare for, but I'll send one of my dolls with you." Alice produced a small rainbow colored puppet with a black box attached to it. "This is a transceiver so I can talk to you and give you information- courtesy of the kappa, Nitori."

"Neat." Marisa walked over and picked it up. "So after all this, ya won't come with us? Even after we saved yer life? Tsk tsk."

"What? No- I'd love to! But the festival is important, and it's what I was doing before anyways."

"Well, alright. Whatever ya say."

Sanae stood up, looking healthy and rejuvenated. "Reimu-san? If it's alright, I'd like to invite everyone to the shrine as thanks."

"Hmmm," Reimu paused in thought. "I don't like going to rival shrines, but… perhaps those gods could give us a hand or something."

"Mm, that sounds like a fine idea," agreed Shikieiki. "We can escort Ms. Kochiya, and perhaps gain some more information on that impostor."

"Right. So then, our next destination is the Moriya Shrine. Will you be alright Alice?"

She nodded, already dusting herself off, and gathering her things. "Mhm. I'm going to head back home. Hopefully there aren't any more surprises."

"Alright. Is everyone ready? We don't have to waste any more time that we don't have."

"Ready," replied Sanae.

"Roger!" Affirmed the tengu, notes in hand.

"Ya know it!" Grinned Marisa.

"Mm, yes. Let's go," agreed Shikieiki.

Reimu nodded and lifted off, the others following suit. Waving goodbye to Alice, they set out under the moon's light towards Sanae's shrine.

 **Elsewhere**

Tenshi watched in bored amusement from her place in heaven. With a sigh, she began to pace around, picking up a peach and eating it. "Man, it's so boring. I wish the Hakurei shrine maiden would get here already."

Just days ago, a strange woman dressed like Reimu appeared, and told her to expect their company and pass on a message. Normally, a regular human couldn't reach heaven alone, but she was definitely not. Everything about her seemed off. Tenshi remembered the dread she felt, an oppressive and overwhelming sense of inferiority. But she couldn't accept that the woman was that strong, no one could ever do that to her. She was a mystery, for sure.

Then again, maybe her overbearing and veiled personality was the attractive point that made Tenshi so eager to do what she said. The thought of being stepped on by her made the celestial tremble with excitement.

Looking down again, she twirled her hair, a smile playing on her lips. "Mmm, I wish you would come already, Reimu! We'll have so much… fun."

Still, they would not arrive for a little while, so until then, she would just have to keep the artifact hidden away. The woman said specifically to make sure it was safe, until she could come back and get it. She said that it could only gain enough power for her purposes in heaven. Whatever that purpose could be. But it didn't matter to Tenshi.

She just wanted to have some fun.

 **Author's note:** _Sorry about the lateness for this chapter. I started on an adult fiction revolving around monster girls (Woooo) on another website, so it took some of my time away. Besides that, I've also been running out of steam, so the quality of the writing may be declining slightly. But not to worry. This story will be finished, and I've got plenty of good plot twists left to give you guys. Thanks so much for keeping with it and reading it. Every view gives me the motivation to keep writing!_


	6. The Mystery

Mystery of the Missing Mountain God

A light breeze rustled Kanako's hair as she gazed out towards the rising sun. It had been three days now since Suwako and Sanae had gone missing. The shrine was already beginning to fall apart without them.

She bit her lip anxiously. Today was another chance to find them, but any longer and there were no guarantees that they were alive.

Voices came from the great stairs leading up to the shrine.

"Visitors?" Kanako rubbed her chin. Worshippers this early was unusual.

Her eyes widened in surprise as a familiar green haired girl appeared, hoisted onto Reimu's back. They were accompanied by an odd party: the magician, the tengu, and the yama.

"Sanae!" She rushed forward, plucking the girl into her arms, and brushing her hair tenderly.

"Luckily fer her, ol' Reimu here was able to save her in time," chirped Marisa. "Oughta be glad, ze."

After going over every inch of Sanae's weak form, the serpent god put aside her motherly instincts and focused on the visitors. "I'm very grateful. From the most sincere depths of my being, I owe you a great debt." She then turned with the girl and began walking back to the main house. "Please, come and stay awhile. I assume you would like compensation of some sort?"

"Money is always great, ze."

Shikieiki shot the magician a dirty look.

"What? She said compensation. So, I'm gonna accept. For charity reasons."

"What charity?" Inquired the yama.

Marisa responded with a grin. "Well, tha' poor shrine maiden charity o' course! That one, I mean," she added quickly, pointing at Reimu.

"I'm not poor!"

Kanako chuckled. "I see. Well, I may be able to offer you something yet."

Reimu sighed. "Fine. In any case, we're here for more than just a reward. But you might already know."

"Indeed. Please sit, and let's discuss it."

Everyone plopped down without too much fuss. It wasn't like there was anything particular about sitting in the shrine anyways.

"So," began the god, "I understand you are investigating a new incident? Based on your return with Sanae, and such a party, there must be something going on. Since I've been here these past few days, I don't know what's been happening in Gensokyo. But I know that something's wrong. Tell me what you've encountered on your travels so far, that perhaps I may be able to lend some kind of assistance."

"Well," responded Reimu. "There's quite a lot to tell. I'll start with the mansion…"

Kanako listened seriously, nodding and affirming every so often. She seemed to be in deep thought considering the events that occurred.

Upon completion of the tales, she told her side of the story. "You see, Suwako and Sanae had gone missing at the same time, three days ago. With just me at the shrine, there was no way I could go out in person to look for them. I used my control of lower forms, serpents, to send out search parties. But they could not find traces of them anywhere."

"Well, we did find Sanae," added Reimu.

She nodded. "That confirmed what I had been suspecting. It wasn't that they weren't anywhere in Gensokyo, but their presence was hidden from my scouts somehow. Only powerful magic could hide them from me like that."

"What about that frog god girl?" Asked Marisa.

"I would ask of you this last favor. My debt will be paid to you in due time, but if you could, please: Could you find Suwako? No doubt she is somewhere on this mountain. But like I said, I cannot search, nor can I see her."

Shikieiki shuffled in her spot.

"Huh? You got somethin', Shiki?" Marisa looked at her quizzically.

She looked down at the floor, but began to speak after a short time. "Yes, well. I can sense that a strange presence seems to be at the summit. It isn't doing anything in particular, but I wouldn't give it time to act. Moreover, there is another presence, well hidden, but may be this Suwako you are looking for."

With a slightly bemused look, Kanako said, "You can actually sense them?"

"That's right. Unlike your power, which is based on sensing living energies, I can sense the presence of spirits. Dead people. They seem to have something to do with interfering with your power."

"Oh my god. This better not be that flower incident thing all over again," whined Marisa in the back.

"Don't worry about that. You won't have to fight me again."

"It's not really that, ze…"

Reimu cut in, "Okay, okay. So we'll just go look for the other god, and figure out what's going on at the summit. Sound good, everyone?"

There were nods of agreement all around.

Marisa leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Y'know, this'll be a good chance to find clues about that impostor dude, ze."

"What the- get away from me. Geez. I know already."

"Psssh, 'course you know."

Kanako smiled, and nodded to everyone. "Then I wish you luck. Will you be splitting your party?"

Reimu held her chin. "Hmmm, that might be a good idea. We'll cover more ground that way, and in less time. Right. Marisa, you're with me. We're heading to the summit. Aya, you go with Shikieiki. You guys know your job."

"Whaaaat? That's a lot of work. And besides, you get the cool job~"

"Eh? Aren't ya s'posed to be like mach speed or somethin'?"

"Yeah…."

"There ya go."

Shikieiki spoke up. "That is fine with me. I trust in your abilities, Reimu-san. Besides, there is much I'd like to discuss with our flying friend."

Aya's face fell.

"Should you two encounter anything, can you signal the rest of us, Kirisame?"

With a flourish and a grin, she responded, "Course I can! I'll give ya a signal ya can't miss!"

"Excellent. Then I believe we are settled. Shall we go?"

Sighing, Reimu stood. "Guess so. No point in wasting time. Uh, Kanako?"

She looked up and nodded.

"You won't be coming, I assume?"

"Indeed. I must stay here for my daughter, and the shrine."

"Daughter…. R-right. I understand."

Kanako smiled. "Thank you. Please be safe, and good luck."

As everyone filed outside, Reimu couldn't help but hear Kanako's words again and again. ' _Daughter… a daughter_ …'

She shook her head in frustration. ' _Dammit! Why am I thinking of stuff like that?'_

Turning to the others, she made one final check. "Right. Thief with me, and tengu with the judge."

"Aw, c'mon. Thief?" Whined Marisa.

"I'm a pure-hearted maiden. I only tell the truth my friend. Isn't that right? Shikieiki-san?"

The yama narrowed her eyes and didn't respond.

"See? She's in agreement."

"Whatever ze. Let's go."

Aya sidled up behind her partner and gave her a surprise bear hug.

With a cry of surprise, she began to kick and squirm. "H-hey! What are you doing to me you faithless heathen?!"

"Ready to go partner?"

"Wha-"

Shikieiki's screams quickly faded out of hearing as she was lifted up and away. They weren't quite going mach speed, as Marisa was able to count at least seven seconds before they disappeared up in the deep blue.

Sighing, Reimu turned to her friend. "Whatever, let them do what they want. Come on."

The magician looked up to the summit and squinted. "It's a long way up, dontcha think?"

"Sure it is. But we can fly."

"Heh, you n' I read each other's minds."

"Uh huh. Let's go."

"Right behind ya, ze!"

They began to float off towards the distant summit, its peak hidden behind clouds and the haze of the atmosphere.

Kanako watched them go from the shrine door. Once they were far enough away, she turned and walked back over to Sanae.

The girl was looking healthy, her breathing slow and steady. Every so often she stirred, but would quickly fall back into peaceful slumber.

Brushing her hair gently, the god smiled and gazed lovingly. "I'm sorry all this happened to you. It wasn't supposed to be like this." Kanako's smile became bitter, straining to remain steady as a pained look came over her. "Just sleep for now. Once it's all over, you'll wake up and it will be like nothing happened."

She rested a hand upon the girl's forehead and whispered a spell. Markings appeared, quickly fading away.

Standing, Kanako proceeded outside and called out: "Come! I know you are there, Yakumo. You've been watching this entire time."

A giggle seemed to come from nowhere, but suddenly a gap appeared in the middle of the courtyard. A frilly parasol came out of it, followed by the youkai sage Yukari Yakumo. She had a lazy smile, and watched the serpent god with an amused look. "Hm hm, nice day, isn't it?"

Crossing her arms, Kanako eyed her impatiently. "What is it you want? I've done more than enough in this grand scheme of yours."

"Ours you mean."

"I don't want any part of it."

The youkai sage chuckled. "Is that so? Well, you'll be glad to know that I have just one more thing for you to do."

Kanako watched her suspiciously. "One more thing?"

"Mhm."

A few moments passed in silence. "If I do this thing, will you fulfill your promise?"

Yukari rested her head in one hand. "Only if you truly want it."

"… I do."

With a chuckle, the sage waved with a flourish. "Excellent! Then let me tell you what's going to happen next." She paused, "Er, rather, I should have explained something. It's not really something YOU have to do."

Alarmed, Kanako stepped back, but suddenly felt an icy touch on the back of her neck. "Wha-"

But it was too late. She was paralyzed before she could react, and could only watch in anger as Yukari rubbed a gloved hand across her cheek.

"Hm hm, you see, my friend here has been behind the incident all this time. She's the one that's been doing all the hard work, so congratulations to her. Buuuuut," she paused again. "I bet you're wondering who she is, right?"

Kanako could only watch, her anger growing more and more.

"Yes, I bet you'd like to know. Well, let me just say that we have a special idea planned for you, isn't that right? Reimu?"

Surprise came over the serpent god before she felt herself losing consciousness. The last thing she saw was the youkai standing over her with a smile.

"Excellent." Yukari looked down at the unconscious god. She was already possessed with the cursed spirit. "You do good work, friend."

"Don't ever call me by that name again."

"Hm? Oh, I apologize. I get you two mixed up all the time, it's just that you look so alike to each other."

"Do it again, and I will be sure to seal you for eternity this time."

Yukari feigned a look of hurt. "Oh, you're so mean! Geez, fine. You know, you were always so uptight, Mai."

A shrine maiden stood over Kanako, reciting an incantation. She finished and pulled Kanako to her feet. "Stand," she commanded.

The serpent god stood like a puppet, an empty look in her eyes.

Getting back into her gap and laying lazily, Yukari eyed Mai with amusement. "Are you going to give her the instructions?"

She nodded and spoke in a flat tone. "Find the tengu and the yama. You are to eliminate them. Go."

Kanako seemed to waver for a second, but walked off into the mountainside, her mission clear.

"Are you sure she can defeat that yama?" Asked the shrine maiden.

"No, it won't happen. It's only a distraction of course."

"Right. I've been wondering for a while now why Shikieiki has been holding back. But, perhaps the importance of our work has been made clear to her already."

"You think she remembers your promise that day?"

Mai looked up into the sky thoughtfully. "Maybe. Maybe not. It's been many centuries since then. Whatever the case, she's playing her part very well."

Turning, she walked into the shrine house and looked at Sanae with curiosity. "This girl… she is very interesting. There are parts of her that I could only wish Reimu had, but perhaps it is my fault."

Yukari floated over. "Yeah, she's interesting I suppose."

"I've left Reimu in your care all these years, and you've done a wonderful job. But I can't help feel that part of you rubbed off on her."

"I know! She'll be a great sage someday, I'm sure."

"I wasn't talking about that. I meant your… less productive traits."

"Come on, ol' Reimu always gets the job done. When she has to, anyways."

Mai sighed. "Fine, I guess. But for now we need to move. You understand what we must do next?"

"Uh huh."

"Good. If I'm going to be freed from this chained existence, I'll need you by my side until the very end."

Yukari nodded and smiled.

Mai returned her smile with a warm embrace. "Thank you, my friend."

Aya peered down at the mountainside below. She couldn't go as fast as usual since that meant missing whatever tiny clue there was to Suwako's whereabouts. So far though, there had only been dirt, dust, rocks, and occasional Youkai. Shikieiki had forced her to put her down a while back, under the threat of an eternity of spankings. She kept going on about the dangers of flying so fast and so high. But whatever.

The tengu sighed. There was nothing on this mountain _. 'Of course Reimu got to do the fun job! How perfect of an RPG setting is it to travel to the top of a mountain during an incident? Without a doubt, there's probably a cool boss at the top who says stuff like: Have at you! Or, what is a man but a miserable pile of-'_

Just as she was about to give up, a flash below caught her eye.

"Huh? What's that?" she wondered out loud. "Finally, something worth checking out."

Aya flew down and found herself suddenly chilled to the bone: the ground and trees were all frozen over, whilst a large icicle sat in the middle. There was something, or someone inside it.

"Whoooaah, is that who I think it is?"

Without delay, she quickly snapped a few photos and scribbled some notes down. "Hmm, shrine god frozen over on her own mountain."

Indeed, it was Suwako Moriya that Aya had found so brutally iced over, along with a number of small frogs.

Done with her reporter musings, the tengu walked around to see if there was a way to break the ice, so to speak. But unfortunately, Suwako was giving her a cold reception.

"Man, this thing is solid," she remarked, giving it a hard kick. "Hm, poor idiot. I wonder what it feels like to be frozen like that. I mean, is she even alive?" Leaning closer, Aya examined Suwako's face. "That's weird, is she-"

Two small eyes suddenly blinked and focused on her.

"HOOOWWWAAAHHH!" She stumbled backwards in surprise, breathing heavily.

Aya got up shakily and dusted herself off. Upon closer inspection, it looked like Suwako was breathing. Well, at least in a weird, very slow kind of way.

The frozen girl's eyes mindlessly stared back at the tengu.

"Guess that's the power of a god, huh? Still breathing and alive in a block of ice. Welp, I better figure a way to get her out of there before she actually ends up dead. Although, that could be a pretty good story."

There didn't seem to be any easy way to break the stuff apart. But fortunately, Aya had another plan.

Focusing her energy into a thin laser-like ray, she summoned a hypersonic blade of wind. "Here goes nothing!" Carefully positioning it, she gently pushed forward.

It cut through like butter, and she easily shaved slabs off one after the other until only an inch thick layer remained around the frog god.

Wiping sweat off her forehead, Aya prepared to cut even closer. With a small cheer of motivation, she began.

Using eagle eyed precision, slice after slice came off until with a crack, Suwako fell over face first, and lay on the ground motionless.

"Is she… is she dead? Er, wait, I guess she just too cold. Better get some photos for later."

An hour later, and the girl was already hopping around happily like nothing ever happened.

"So, Suwy, how are you feeling?" Aya watched her nervously.

"Weeeeelll, I'm okay I guess. But my frogs…"

"Yeeeeaah… they didn't quite thaw as well."

Suwako frowned in sadness, but quickly smiled again. "Other than that, it's been really fun today!"

' _Seriously? This girl's been frozen for a couple days. Did her brain freeze over too?'_ Aya nodded to humor her. "So… do you remember what happened? How'd you get, um, frozen?"

She thought for a few seconds, answering in an upbeat tone. "Yeah! I was playing leap frog with my friends. It was just starting to get dark, and Kanako told me to return home by night. But then, things started to happen, and before I knew it, I got cold. I did see something like a blue fairy, but I fell asleep."

"Huh, a blue fairy? Um, do you realize what day it is?"

"That's easy. It's tomorrow silly!"

"You think you've been asleep overnight?"

"Of course! I woke up when something loud hit my ice thing, and then I saw you."

' _Ah geez.'_ Aya decided that it would be best to just bring her back to the shrine and not say anything confusing. "Come on, let's head back. Kanako's been looking for you."

Suwako nodded and began to slowly float off.

"Ah! Hold on, let me just take us there. You know, fastest in Gensokyo and all."

"Oh! Alright then!" She came down and attached herself onto Aya's back. "Ready!"

"Ack, that's kinda… Never mind. Hold on tight." She smiled and winked, adding, "And try not to barf!"

They blasted off into the deep blue, far and over the mountain side. It was only seconds before Moriya shrine surrounded them.

Suwako hopped off and walked around. "Kanako! Kanakooooo!"

"Huh, that's weird." Aya looked around, but there were no signs anyone was home. "She was here before… is Sanae still here then?"

Indeed she was. The tengu walked inside to find Sanae asleep on the floor like before, but now her head rested upon a soft pillow.

Suwako followed in behind and saw her. "Oh! Sanae!" She knelt down and tried to prod the girl awake. "Hey! Wake up sleepy! Hey!"

"Is something wrong?"

A serious look came over the frog god. "Someone put a spell on her. It feels like…" she gasped in surprise. "Kanako?! It's Kanako's magic! But why?!"

"Eh? The other god's magic?"

"I don't know why she'd put a spell like this on Sanae, but I can't unravel it. The magic's too strong and complicated for me."

Aya jotted down some notes and was about to speak when a large explosion came from the summit.

"What was that!?" Cried Suwako in surprise.

"Probably our answer, wanna go?"

She shook her head. "I must stay here for Sanae."

"Kanako said the same thing."

"Did she?"

Nodding, Aya turned and was about to head out when another explosion, this one much closer, shook the shrine.

"Whoa, that's a lot closer! I'm gonna check it out. Still staying?"

Suwako nodded.

There was a plume of smoke rising in the distance, far off in the mountainside forest.

"I'll check that first, the summit can wait. Man this is exciting! Later Suwy!" The tengu waved goodbye and disappeared in a flash.

The god nodded and began to stroke Sanae's hair. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over.

Shikieiki dodged out of the way as a giant onbashira obliterated the earth where she was standing a second ago. "Agh! Stop this Kanako!"

The serpent god wasn't listening to her pleas, instead aiming another onbashira at her.

"Cease this at once! Can you hear me?!" Shikieiki narrowly escaped being pulverized by the next attack. _'Grrr, her attacks are getting closer! At this rate, I'll have to…'_

Kanako began to speak, her voice disembodied. "The next… won't missss…" She drew out the final 's' in a long hiss, her eyes mad with malevolence.

' _Of course! She's under possession, just like Sanae was. But why? We were only speaking hours ago. Did… did_ _ **she**_ _know we were coming? I'll have to disable Kanako without using too much power then.'_

"Now… DIE!"

With a burst of speed, Shikieiki easily dodged out the way and appeared behind her.

"What?!" The possessed serpent god cried out in surprise.

Without giving her a chance to react, Shiki placed a hand on her head and delivered a powerful jolt of energy. "Penance!"

Grunting, Kanako stiffened, and froze. She was immobilized.

' _Now to dispel the possession- What?!'_

A shadow burst from the god and pushed her away, bounding a few feet back and watching her.

' _Huh? Is that the possessing spirit? I see. So, her power has become like this now._ '

It moved about, waiting for her to make a move, while Kanako fell over, unconscious.

' _I'll have to destroy it, before it gets a chance to re-enter the host.'_

"Shikieiki…" The spirit spoke with acidity. "You… will pay…"

"Begone! I shall banish your cursed existence!"

It began to laugh, slowing to a serious drawl. "I won't forgive what you did to me…"

"What?" As she watched in horror, the shadow began to change, taking on a human form.

"I'll never forget… and I won't forgive…"

Shikieiki couldn't believe who stood before her. "You… I sentenced you to eternity! How did you…"

"My grudge is greater than you can imagine. An eternity to think of every way I could to kill you made me stronger."

She gritted her teeth. "But… I had no choice. You know the position I was-"

"Silence! This began with you, and it will end with you!"

"No! Listen to me, your mind is clouded with hate! This isn't you!"

"Prepare to die, yama."

There was no escaping a fight. Shikieiki's heart was heavy with sorrow, but she steeled herself for the inevitable. This spirit was too far gone to be saved. It would have to be completely destroyed.

 _All these years_ , she thought. _And it had to be you_.

The spirit lunged forward. "Pay! Pay for taking my daughter from me!"


	7. The Summit

The Summit

Reimu coughed and sputtered as she picked herself up off the ground. There was a large crater to her front, left in the wake of Marisa's sudden Master Spark. "Ugghhhh, that was a bit too much, don't you think?"

The magician herself was buried under a pile of earth, groaning. "Ow, nah, just perfect ze."

They were on the summit, its sheer cliffs giving way to an incredible vista over Gensokyo. There wasn't much else around besides rocks and a few bushes though.

Groaning, the miko slowly walked over to help up her friend. "Did we get her?"

"Agh, I dunno. Whaddya see?"

It was hard to tell anything through the heavy blanket of dust in the air. She could barely make out the crater, but no signs of the celestial were left.

Scowling, she shook her head. "Escaped. C'mon, let's get out of here."

The two girls collected themselves and were about to fly off when something caught Reimu's eye.

"Huh? What's that?" She bent down and picked up what looked like some kind of idol. "It's got some weird power coming from it."

"Whatcha got?"

"I dunno. A statue or something?"

Marisa took a close look and frowned. "Huh. Looks a lot like an effigy, or voodoo doll, er somethin' like that."

"An effigy? Voodoo?"

She scratched her head. "I'm not totally sure ze. I just read it in some books. But anyways, these things are used in dark magic. They have spirits n' stuff."

"Why would Tenshi have this?"

"Dunno."

 _Strange._ Reimu pocketed it and looked around, checking that there wasn't anything left they missed. She frowned and waved her hand. "Let's go, there's nothing else here."

"Alright."

Suddenly, a mocking laugh came from somewhere above them. They turned to see Tenshi descending on a floating boulder, sitting with an annoying grin.

"Hahahaha! That was pretty good! But come on, you'll need more than that. This isn't any fun at all!"

"Figures. You ran away just to see what we'd do?" Reimu looked at her impatiently.

"Well, it's more like I wanted to feel the thrill of a chase. But then you went and ruined it by giving up and leaving."

The celestial crossed her legs over and twirled her hair. She eyed them expectantly.

"Ah!" Marisa suddenly blurted out in realization.

"Huh? What is it?" The miko looked at her friend in curiosity.

She looked serious. "You can fly. I totally wasn't thinkin of that when ya said yer powers were gone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Huh, maybe it's not as bad as I thought."

Tenshi kicked her legs angrily. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Ah shaddup! We're busy!"

With a howl of rage, she leveled a burst of rocks at the two girls.

They easily evaded and waited for the celestial's next move.

"Gaaaah! You guys are soooo boring! Why don't you fight me?"

Marisa started picking her ear. "Eeeh, don't reeeeaaally feel like it. Besides, I wasted a Master Spark on ya." She pulled out a particularly nasty glob of goop, and flicked it onto Reimu.

"Eew! Stop it!"

"Hehe."

Tenshi had enough. She hopped off her high rock, drawing the blade at her hip. "I'm gonna run you through like a piece of soft meat! I like to call this little baby of mine: The blade that will pierce the heavens!"

"That… that uh, name really sucks." Reimu looked at her incredulously.

"No it isn't! I get to say cool stuff, don't I?

"Sure, I guess."

"Bah! Why am I wasting my time? Have at you!" She lunged forward with incredible speed, swinging the blade up in wicked arc.

Reimu felt a hot pain in her side as she dove out of the way. A dark stain began to bloom from a cut in her dress. "Agh! Damn…"

Laughing, Tenshi flicked the blood from her sword. "Not so funny now? Come on, try a little, won't you? Hurt me, make me feel alive!"

"Yo! Eat this ya pig!"

She turned as Marisa blasted into her with a rocket-broom attack. Tenshi tumbled across the ground, quickly hopping back up and grinning. It was a very sick looking grin, with just a bit of drool leaking out of the side.

"Eew. I dunno if I can touch her fer the rest of the fight."

The miko groaned. With most of her powers sealed, healing became a problem. She tried to tap into her pure spirit like before, but it was too hard to concentrate from the pain.

"Man, I'm gonna have ta do all the work? Just stay alive, eh Reimu?"

 **Elsewhere**

Shikieiki shook her head. The last hit sent her reeling, but she wasn't done. Not by a long shot.

"So, are you starting to feel tired yet?"

"Never. I will not be defeated. Not by you."

"Tough. You always were a tough-slingin kind of girl. But I like that."

She parried a blow to her side and counterattacked. It didn't connect, but forced the spirit back, giving her space to think.

"Still pretty fast, aren't you Shiki? But you're not holding back on me, are you?"

The longer the fight, the more she knew she'd have to exert her power. But no matter how much harder she pushed, it was like her opponent matched her.

"Come on Shiki, you can do better. I know you can."

"Graaah!"She launched a flurry of projectiles at the spirit, succeeding in only scarring the earth. _What is this?_ She thought to herself. _I'm feeling more tired than I should…_

The spirit laughed. "Ah, hahaha! You're starting to notice. Feeling like your energy is just draining away?"

Alarm raced through Shikieiki. "What have you done?!"

"Nothing. It's just that the taste of your essence is absolutely magnificent! The more I have of it, the more alive I feel!"

 _So that's it_ , she realized. _He is getting stronger by leeching my power. But how…_ _If I keep my distance…_

With this thought in mind, Shikieiki began to retreat, firing a barrage to create as much distance as she could. Her enemy pursued regardless, but she continued to shoot, darting away.

"What's wrong? Scared? Why don't you come closer?"

It became increasingly obvious however that the spirit was beginning to lag. Finally, one of her blasts struck it, crippling it.

"Gyah!" It screamed and dropped to the ground.

Shikieiki stopped, but kept a distance.

Slowly, the spirit struggled to its feet, groaning and cursing. "BITCH! BITCH BITCH BITCH!"

She'd had enough of this. "Why? What drove you all these years to hate me so? Tell me, Hiryu."

Upon hearing the name, it froze, a look of realization and shock on its face. "I… I…" But he could not finish.

"Tell me, have you truly hated me this much?"

"I… never. I'd never…" Hiryu seemed to be struggling, his eyes wide and shaking. "Shiki, I would never-" But suddenly, he screamed, twisting and clutching his head.

"GAAAAH! I… I… I'll KILL YOU!" He became like before, a deep bloodlust emanating from his being.

Shikieiki had managed to get through to his true spirit, but it seemed the possession regained its control. He was already stumbling forward, hands outstretched in desperate murder.

Her attacks had definitely done damage, and the less energy it could get from her, the better.

"Get… over… here!" It bellowed, lurching closer, but was in no condition to close the gap.

She calmly stepped back, aiming at its legs. _I don't want to destroy him outright. But at least he needs to be stopped._

Two quick blasts put the possessed Hiryu on the ground, screaming in pain. Still, he crawled desperately forward.

"Hiryu! I know you can hear me. Fight through, let my voice be your beacon! Let the pain be your wake-up call! I'm listening to your cries! Do it for Reimu!"

He stopped. "Rei…mu? My… My…" Hiryu screamed again, the crazed look in his eyes disappearing as he calmed down.

Gasping, he lay there and looked at her with sorrow. "Shiki… I'm sorry. I don't want to do any of this."

"I… understand."

"The one who did this to me, who's doing all of this… it's _her_."

Shikieiki nodded and smiled bitterly. "I know."

He gasped and coughed. "Please, I know there's no hope for me. She came to me in my prison, planted a seed… and now…" He trailed off. "Remember how we used to run around Gensokyo together? Solving incidents and beating up troublesome youkai… We'd always be cleaning up the messes that Yakumo left. I wonder… how is she these days?" A melancholic look came over him.

She frowned, biting back tears. It was coming.

"Those days…. Augh! My head!" He began to thrash, groaning and gasping. "Shikieiki, listen to me!" Hiryu looked at her through pained eyes. "I have one last testament, a legacy, to give this world. Please, I need you to trust me, and do this for me."

"Anything!" She cried out, her emotions beginning to show. "I'll do anything for you, old friend."

Chuckling through pained breath, Hiryu smiled. "Ah, thank you- Ugh! I-I need this of you, for my daughter. Please, close your eyes and connect with me. Trust me, please. I've suppressed the corruption."

Hesitant, the judge closed her eyes and carefully reached out with her spirit, ready to withdraw at first danger. However, she breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar and cool touch of Hiryu's untainted spirit.

They stayed silent for moments, the only sound coming from the rustling trees.

At length, the yama opened her eyes. "I… understand."

"Thank you…" He groaned, and convulsed in pain. "Agh! I-I'm sorry we had to meet like this. After so long, all I wanted was to get closer to you again. To everyone." He chuckled. "But now look at me. Isn't it ironic?"

Fighting tears, she smiled.

"It's almost… Guess this is it, huh? One… more thing. My core is somewhere else. This corrupted spirit of mine will never truly die until it's destroyed."

"She chained you to an artifact?"

"Yes, augh! I'm sorry, but this is it for me. Thanks for being there with me again. At least it was you, after all these years."

She nodded. "Goodbye… Hiryu." Shikieiki gritted her teeth, vision blurring.

His head dropped, and he lay face down, unmoving.

"You… you always were an honest man. Honest to a fault."

Silence.

Suddenly, he looked up, face contorted in rage. "BITCH! ILL KILL YOU!"

"For your sake, I'll let you rest in eternity."

"Gryaaah!"

She aimed at him. "Goodbye… my friend…"

 **Back at the summit**

"Yo Reimu! Could ya not be so not-useful right now?!"

"Kinda hard idiot, I've got a few holes in me- Nng!"

"Stop gettin hit!"

The miko clutched her side tightly, desperately dodging Tenshi's attacks. She'd already sustained a few wounds, the loss of blood beginning to affect her.

Marisa tried the best she could, but the celestial always evaded her attacks, focusing only on Reimu.

"Hehee, what's wrong? Stop trying to hit me… and hit me!"

"I can't get her! What's goin on? She's way stronger than before!"

"Agh!" Reimu gasped as she felt the blade pierce her abdomen, pain paralyzing her.

"Heh, gotcha now, Ms. Hakurei," gloated Tenshi, driving it deeper.

"Reeeeimuuu! Get away from her!" Marisa blasted forward with Stargrazer.

"Enough!" The celestial easily batted her away with a sideways attack.

The magician tumbled to the ground, stunned.

"Now," she began, bringing her face up to the miko's and pushing the blade up to the hilt. "You can't run."

Reimu choked on the blood filling her throat and lungs. Her mind was frantic, the pain intense. She tried to push away, but her strength was failing, draining away to a cold numbness.

"Come on miko. Cat got your tongue? Oh, sorry. I mean, hurry up and die."

Everything blurred, fading away. _I don't wanna die…. I don't wanna die_ , she begged in her mind, desperate for salvation.

"Guess you couldn't give me the fun I wanted after all. Shame," scoffed Tenshi, kicking Reimu off her sword.

She fell back onto the earth, motionless.

"Reimmuuuu!" Marisa's yells grew quieter, fainter.

 _I don't wanna die,_ begged the miko. _I don't … wanna…_

 **Back to the Mountain:**

Aya searched desperately below for any sign of what caused the explosion earlier. No matter how many times she circled around where the smoke was coming from, there was nothing to be found.

"Argh! I can't see anything! What's going on?

A movement caught her eye. Swooping close, she tried to catch up, but it was gone. Another blur went by her left, but it disappeared almost instantly.

 _What the? What's that?_

The more she waited and watched, the more something began to come into view. Two things. They moved through the forest, one after the other, blurs that appeared and disappeared.

She followed them, noticing that they started to remain visible for longer and longer.

Suddenly, a scene appeared in front of her, clear as day. Shikieiki stood over the decimated remains of a body. Or something.

"Whoa. What did you do?"

The judge turned with a slight look of surprise before resuming her usual straight face. "Oh, you' re here."

Aya grinned. "Heh, course I am. Now," she paused and began to write. "What happened?"

"Keep your distance from this. It's not dead."

"Huh?"

As if on cue, the body growled and began to slowly inch forward.

"Gyah! W-what?"

Shikieiki pulled her back. "It's a possessed spirit that manifested into a human form." She wavered a little at the end. The tengu looked at her curiously.

"I've immobilized it for the most part, but we need to find the thing it is tethered to."

"Tethered to? So, something else is keeping it alive?"

"Yes. An object somewhere is channeling the spirit. We need to destroy it."

"Wow. This is good story material."

The yama changed an incantation, a bright white barrier appearing around Hiryu's body.

He growled, crawling forward and touching it, but quickly recoiled after being burned.

"That should keep it from going far," finished Shikieiki.

"Huh."

"For now, let us take the Moriya back home."

"Oh yeah, there she is. I also picked up Suwako earlier already."

A surprised look came over Shikieiki. "You did?"

"Yeah."

"Well, very good. I'm quite surprise actually."

Aya looked hurt. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she began, "you're not a very ethical, or reliable person."

"Aw, c'mon, I can't be a reporter without some kind of work ethic! A code!"

"Your code is morally depraved."

"Myeeeh."

"Come, let's go."

The two collected Kanako's unconscious body, flying it back to the shrine. Suwako looked up at them when they brought her in, hurrying to help and setting her down inside the house on a soft blanket next to Sanae.

"What happened?" Asked the frog god.

Shikieiki sat down. "She was possessed by a cursed spirit. I exorcised it from her."

The tengu looked at her in bewilderment. "You can do that?"

"Well, not exactly exorcism, but something close."

Nodding, Suwako touched Kanako's face. "She feels a little cold, but there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong."

"We're not completely done. There's an artifact somewhere that must be destroyed."

"The spirit is tethered to an object?"

"Yes. It must be nearby, but I don't know where."

Aya chimed in. "What about on the summit? Before I found you, something happened up there. I'm guessing Reimu and Marisa found something."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Hmm, indeed. They may very well need our help."

"What about her?"

They looked at Kanako.

"I'll watched until she wakes up," said Suwako. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Very well," affirmed Shikieiki. Standing, she motioned for Aya to follow. "Come, let's not waste time."

She nodded. "Yeah, let's go save em. Though, I really doubt they need saving."

"Hm, no matter. Let's go."

They flew up towards the distant peak, not knowing what to expect.

 **In another place:**

The ground felt cold and hard. Reimu awoke with a start, coughing and gasping for air. She felt like she was being pulled in different directions at the same time. Her hands went to her stomach, feeling for a wound. But there was none.

Closing her eyes, she tried to relax and calm down, memories of Tenshi driving the sword into her just minutes ago flashing into her mind.

With steadying breath, the miko opened her eyes and looked around.

She was in some dark place. There was a purplish haze over everything, the only growth around dead trees. There was a heavy sense of death permeating the air.

 _Where am I?_ She wondered. _What happened? Am I… dead?_

"Yep. You're dead."

A voice from behind made her jump. Turning, she came face to face with a familiar ghostly youkai: Yuyuko Saigyouji.

"You're as dead as can be, Reimu-san."

Confused, the miko searched her mind for answers. Opening her mouth to speak, she found that no sound came out. On the verge of panic, she grabbed Yuyuko.

"Hey hey, don't freak out. I kinda lied, a little. You're dead, yes. But more like me. Or Youmu, I'm not sure."

 _What?_

"By the way, are you having trouble speaking? As a new ghost, you've lost most of your mortal abilities. So _now_ , if you wanna say something, just think it and focus on who you want to hear it. I could hear you earlier because you were 'thinking out loud,' so to speak."

 _My thoughts? But… why am I this?_

"You had a strong desire to live? Unfinished business? Stuff like that'll do it."

 _I… I guess so…_

"And now… poof! A ghost!"

Reimu let go and looked at herself. Upon closer examination, she realized she did seem… transparent.

"Come on, I'll get you out of here before something comes."

 _Like what?_

"Well, there are a lot of trapped, hungry souls here. And not much around to eat, sooooo…"

 _Okay okay, Just take me somewhere that I can deal with all this._

"Great. Right on through here~!"

A portal appeared before them. There was a garden and house just beyond the open doorway.

 _I'm not sure if I can make it one piece._

"I do it all the time, and look at me!"

 _Uh huh. Well… I've only been a ghost for twenty minutes I think. Come on, it's all new to me._

Yuyuko shook her head. "Tch, tsk tsk Reimu-san. The great Hakurei Shrine maiden, brought down by a little bit of deadness? Come now."

 _Wha-? That's just it: I'm dead!_

As she was about to whine more, a ghastly roar came from somewhere in the hazy darkness.

"Oh? Would you look at that. 'Something' has found us."

 _Something?_

"You have a choice. Come with me, or be eaten."

 _I…_

Another roar, this time much closer, shook the ground.

The shrine maiden shifted uncomfortably. _Fine fine, I'll go._

Smiling, the ghost youkai motioned towards the portal. "Just step through. It's a door."

Reimu stood in front of it, hesitating. One more roar, and she steeled her nerves, closing her eyes and stepping through. Surprised, she felt solid ground, and looked up to see herself in the garden of a familiar place with a great cherry blossom tree overhead. The air was much lighter here than it was back there.

Yuyuko stepped in behind her as the portal closed with a 'whoosh.' "Welcome to my home, Hakugyoukurou!"

A girl called from inside, "Yuyuko-sama! Dinner is ready! Yuyu- oh?"

Youmu Konpaku stepped out of a doorway. "Reimu-san? I didn't know you were here! I'll go prepare some tea-"

"It's okay Youmu, she won't be needing anything. Not anymore at least," said Yuyuko.

"Huh? What do you…" The gardener-swordsman trailed off as she looked closer at the miko. "Reimu, are you… are you dead?"

Directing her thoughts, she responded nodding. _Yes. Apparently I'm really dead this time._

"Oh… that's um…"

Pulling Reimu inside, Yuyuko led her into the dining room, Youmu following behind. The table was laden with a wonderful feast, full of dishes like chicken, fish, buns, barbecued sparrow, and so much more.

"We can talk about Reimu's problems a little later, okay? For now- Dinner! Yay!" She dug in without waiting.

Taking a piece of chicken, Reimu took a bite- and spit it out. The food tasted like sand, dry and disgusting.

Yuyuko eyed her knowingly. "Being mostly ghost is hard, hm? Good thing Youmu here is only half- she wouldn't be able to taste the food and make sure it was delicious otherwise!"

Still gagging, the ghost miko asked, _But, how can you taste it?_

"I regained that sense. Right after I came back as a ghost."

 _How?_

"Well," she began, "some things came back over time. Other things I had to… 'work' for. Do things that you may find… wrong. You may be able to regain your senses that way too." She paused and stopped eating. After a moment, she added, "And you can get back your body. You can become mortal again."

Shocked, Reimu stood up. _H-how?! Tell, me, how do I do it?!_

"It's a long process, but I can help you. The things you must do… are you prepared? Are you prepared to go beyond good and evil?"

Beyond good and evil. The miko considered the concept in her head. To regain herself… to be something that wasn't good, or evil. Would she even be human anymore?

"I'm not saying you'll go that far… but there's the possibility."

 _I… I'm ready. I will do it._

"Then you will face your demons, and they may consume you. But you must consume them. Now, Youmu?"

She nodded. "Yes?"

Yuyuko motioned to Reimu. "You understand what I would like you to do. Please help Reimu with her training."

"Understood. Reimu-san?"

 _Ah, I'll follow you._

They began to get up, but the ghost youkai grabbed her arm and leaned in close. "Whatever happens, don't lose sight of yourself. Do not ever forget who you are. Don't forget your own name."

Reimu nodded.

"Then, your training begins now."

 **At the summit:**

"Reimmuuuuu!" Marisa screamed her name desperately, cradling the girl's head in her hands. "Come back! Come back to us! Reimu!"

Tenshi watched in amusement a few feet away. Her sword was slicked with crimson red.

Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up, followed by familiar faces.

"Aya! Shiki" The magician looked up at them as they came over the edge.

The celestial clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Guys… it's Reimu… she's…."

Shikieiki knelt down beside the body. "I'm… I'm sorry Ms. Kirisame. We should've come sooner."

"Whoa! Ol' Reimu bit it? Now way…" Aya was shocked: she didn't even pull out her notes. "I… can't believe it…"

Crying, Marisa hugged her friend one last time. "We're… we're not done yet. Her!" She pointed at Tenshi. "She did this!"

"I see." Shikieiki stood and readied herself to fight. "I might just stop holding back, you scum." Her voice wavered with a hint of anger.

"Don't count me out!" Yelled Aya, fluttering forward and focusing her wind. "We tengu avenge our fallen, our friends. Our family."

Tenshi laughed mockingly. "Really now? She wasn't very fun to fight against, honestly. But I'd have to say, feeling the blood spill from her guts was one of the best things I've felt in a long time."

"You-!" Marsia gritted her teeth so hard, a trickle of blood began to run from her mouth. "We'll make you pay!"

"Will you?" then show me, and let's have a good time! Make me feel good! Make me feel pain!"

Everyone lunged forward at once. "For our friend!"


	8. Even In death (Perspective)

Even In Death

Some things can't be explained. No matter how much you search, pulling apart the puzzles, you'll never bring light to the darkest shadows.

Things that have been forgotten. Memories that have changed over time.

How long will you struggle to hold on to the past? Even as the life fades from your eyes and finality settles in. What truth is there to embrace?

There is no happily ever after for us. We suffer endlessly: every day a new struggle. And for what? What is it that we must fight for?

To give our lives, wholly and without regret, to a cycle of mediocrity. Of failed dreams and hopeful ventures. We try again and again to make something of ourselves, and yet, there is no final reward. The cycle continues on, and on, chewing us up, and spitting us out.

How can I let this continue?

For centuries, from the moment this world gently welcomed me in its embrace, to now, as I stand above it, I see only endless suffering. I see there is no freedom. The lives these people lead are shallow, imperfect mockeries of existences with purpose. I look at them and I feel a great sorrow. They should not be made to live this way.

For centuries, I've watched over this land, even as my body withered away, and my soul stagnated. The duty of protection has, and always will be, mine to bear.

And now, the cycle begins anew. Another generation to live and die, for nothing more than to exist. A pained existence, cursed to be nothing.

Yet, it is unto me to free it. My final mission and duty to this land. There will be no more time, no feeling, or pain. There will be no existence, just blank emptiness. It will be free, finally.

And you, my daughter. You are the key to it all.

You are a part of me, my shining light in this abyss. You are the golden egg that I have nurtured for so long. Without the limits that a human body would bind you, I know that you will awaken to your true purpose.

So long have I waited for this day. When I looked at your face last, it was in the arms of a youkai, not mine. But now, we may be together again, if only for a brief, shining moment.

I will remove Gensokyo of all its mortal constraints. We will be as one, and as one, we will be nothing. Emotionless. Painless. Fearless. Free.

My one true descendant. It is your duty to see the end of this cycle. Break this dogma.

I await you, when you have realized your true potential.

Awaken.


	9. Finality

Finality

The funeral was heavy with sorrow. People from the Human Village, as well as youkai, were gathered to pay their respects. Just for today, Gensokyo was united in a common way.

Rain fell from the sky, gently touching the earth with its rejuvenating succor. But for many, the difference between rain and tears could not be seen.

Her coffin was slowly lowered into the grave. A flower wreath was placed upon it.

Marisa and Alice were the first to pay their respects. The magician silently nodded, and walked away, while the other left a doll in memoria.

Next was Aya and several of the Mountain Tengu. They performed a traditional dance for the fallen in their culture.

The Scarlet Mansion residents followed. Sakuya placed a watch upon the coffin, its hands frozen in time. Remilia and Flandre could only silently offer their sincere thoughts.

Sanae and the Moriya gods prayed for her safe venture in the afterlife. The innocent shrine maiden could not restrain her tears.

Finally, Shikieiki approached, and quietly offered her respect.

It continued like this for the rest of the day. Humans and youkai alike came to Hakurei Shrine to pay their respects. Until now, her life was taken for granted. She was blown off as lazy, or uncaring. But now, she was gone. She was gone, and there was no way to regain lost time.

Marisa watched silently from the front of the house, observing the visitors coming and going. Thoughts of the fight against Tenshi plagued her: the guilt from being so powerless more than she could bear. But now, she had to move on and finish what they started. She vowed to get revenge.

The celestial had managed to escape at the time, though not unscathed. With grievous wounds, she ran away, promising to finish their fight. Shikieiki destroyed the strange object they'd found, saying that everything was then finished.

They returned to the Moriya Shrine with her body. It was almost unthinkable that this could happen. Kanako couldn't bear to see it, and walked away. Suwako only looked on, and Sanae wept.

Then, the preparations were made. The girl's body was taken back home, to join her ancestors.

Officially, the Hakurei family was no more. Akyuu Hieda made a record stating that, "the Hakurei lineage ended with the death of the shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, on this day." A notice was put out to ask for volunteers to help keep the Shrine clean.

"Hey… will you be alright?" Alice walked up with a concerned look. "You've been here all day. Maybe it's time to… you know. Let her go."

No reply. The magician turned her head and didn't say a word.

"Marisa, please. We all cared about her, so don't think you're alone in-"

"She was my best friend!" Marisa leapt up and grabbed Alice by the shoulders.

"Agh! Marsia, stop-"

"No, you don't understand. We were like sisters! Through thick n' thin… we went through it all! Don't just tell me to move on, like she was nothin!"

"I… I didn't mean it like that."

She sighed and let go. "No, no. You're right. Reimu'd want me to smile and look up, chin high. Can't be mopin' around like this."

"Marisa…"

"It's fine. I'll… I'll see ya later, yeah?"

Alice slowly nodded. "Yeah…"

The magician stood and grabbed her broom, flying off into the sky without looking back.

"I hope she'll be alright."

Three months passed. It was as if whatever was happening in Gensokyo had died along with Reimu. There were no signs of the mysterious villain they were chasing before. Only minor incidents involving particularly ambitious youkai occurred.

All the while, these were resolved without her presence. It was strange at first, the name on their tongues as they faced them, but eventually she became a fond memory.

"How would she do this?" Or, "I know she'll understand," were the words spoken as humankind and youkai began to coexist, ever more so than before.

It was as if her passing marked the end of an era. The end of a time of fear and misunderstanding.

Everyone returned to their previous lives. Shikieiki resumed her work in hell with Komachi. Aya continued reporting news all throughout Gensokyo. The Moriya's kept a memorial at their shrine in memory of Reimu, as they went about every day. Alice's confectionary shop had become very popular, forcing her to move to a larger location on the main street.

Marisa visited Hakurei Shrine every day. She cleaned it and watched over everything, going so far as to don the maiden's garb. Her vow to keep Reimu's memory alive gave her motivation.

Occasionally, volunteers would help out, but usually it was quiet, much like before.

Reimu had become a legend in the eyes of those who lived in Gensokyo. Fairies would whisper her name in reverence, some never having met her. The shrine was regarded as a place of great importance, a place that many left alone in respect. No one dared upset her spirit.

Yet, they thanked her for her sacrifice. Everyone knew that without her, the unification of Gensokyo would never have come to be.

Despite this, there were dissenters. In all of history and time, there has never been a perfect society, and Gensokyo was no different.

Youkai that still harbored hate, or hunger towards humans, were even more vicious now. They attacked travelers and small settlements that began to sprout.

Humans were the same. Those who still disliked the youkai hunted them, killing in the name of righteousness.

But these dissenters were far and few between. Whenever their actions began to grow too large, it fell to the protectors of Gensokyo to quell them.

Sometimes it was Marisa carrying the torch. Other times, the Moriya's performed their sacred duties, and even other times, the allies that Reimu once had would rise forth.

However, today was peaceful. Marisa finished cleaning the shrine and put her old dress back on. The day was nice and cool, a soft breeze lightly brushing the trees.

 _Would be a good day fer sweets,_ she thought, hopping on her broom.

Ever since Alice expanded, she'd started visiting more often.

The door bells jingled as the magician walked in. At the moment, business was light. Alice looked up to see her coming.

"Oh, hey! You're back again today."

"Yeah, well." Marisa leaned on the counter casually, looking to start a conversation. "Squashin little uprisings here n' there gets a bit borin after a while, y'know."

"Hm, I guess so."

"You been doin' anything cool lately?"

The puppeteer shrugged. "I've been so busy tending the store, it's hard to find time for anything else. It's my dolls and I full time here."

"Ya don't say."

"Yes, well…" She trailed off, looking concerned. "Um, Marisa?"

"Yeah?" She casually quirked up an eyebrow.

"Are you… are you okay? You know, it's been a few months now since…"

She was silent. "Yeah… yeah. I-I suppose so. It's been a while already, so it's natural I guess. Still, sometimes I catch myself doin' somethin' and turning to her, but she ain't there."

"Marisa…"

"Nah, it's alright. Was gonna happen to one of us, sooner or later. Jus' happens to be it was me left behind this time."

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

Marisa put up a hand. "Don't worry about it. Er, thanks actually. Been needing to get that off ma' chest."

With a warm smile, Alice nodded.

The door bells jingled as a girl with light brown hair walked in.

"Ah, excuse me Marisa, a customer."

"No prob."

She smiled as the girl walked up.

"Can I get a box of brownies, and a special order of multi-colored meringues?"

"Certainly, one moment please."

There was a rustle behind the counter as Alice put together the order.

"Here you are," she said, placing a beautiful box with a ribbon tied around it on the counter.

"T-thank you. Um, actually… is it alright if I look around in the store? It's so beautiful, and I was a little scared at first since there aren't that many people here."

Alice chuckled. "Go ahead, admire as you please."

The girl bowed and began to mill around, taking in the decorations with curious wonder.

Turning back, Marisa eyed Alice with curiosity. "Huh, being the owner of a popular place must really bring out yer good sides."

"One must be open and understanding to connect with customers. It would be terrible if I had social anxiety, or something like that, but I don't."

"Sure, sure."

There was another jingle as the girl waved and walked out. "Thank you!" She called, as the door closed shut.

"Oh, she's gone."

"Hm, nice young girl. I don't think I've seen her come in before. Newcomer I suppose."

A silence fell between the two, as if the energy of the conversation left with the girl. Alice took this time to clean her work space.

"ALICE." The droning of one of her dolls made her stop. "FOUND SOMETHING."

"Hm, what's this?" She took what appeared to be a battered and bloodstained doll with a small black box on its chest. Realization dawned on her. "This is- How?!"

Marisa looked at it. "What's that?"

"It's… It's the transceiver doll I gave you guys when we found Sanae. I'd forgotten about it."

"What?! But…"

"I don't understand either. Why did it appear here?"

"MASTER. I FOUND IT ON A SHELF. NO RECORDS OF HOW IT GOT THERE."

A strange look came over Marisa. She grabbed her broom and rushed out, Alice yelling behind her.

Emptiness. The streets were empty of any traffic.

 _Could it have been…_ She shook her head. As much as it gave her hope, Reimu was gone. It was some kind of freak coincidence. Somehow.

The magician sighed and wondered as she looked up to the sky, a soft breeze lifting her dress, a butterfly floating by.

 **No matter how much a wish is made to return the souls of the lost, it is impossible**. To do so would be to break the balance of the world. Should this occur, the world would begin to fall apart, light consumed by darkness. It would be the end of everything.


	10. Questions

Chapter 10

Questions

It was now late fall, coming into winter, as Gensokyo rested peacefully in comfort. Time moved forward, day by day, with today being another passing dream.

A certain black and white magician sat on the steps of the Hakurei Shrine, lazing after a day of keeping it clean and maintained. Thanks to her daily efforts, the shrine looked like it did before its resident maiden passed away.

She sighed and plucked a leaf out of her hair, turning it between her fingers and admiring its reddish gold hue. "Three months… it's been that long, eh?" Breathing deeply, the girl leaned back and stared up into the trees, her thoughts wandering to nostalgic memories.

Suddenly, her stomach grumbled and groaned. With a grimace, she rubbed her hungry belly and sighed. "Ah, man… what do I eat?"

In all honesty, she could easily go back home and make herself dinner. But the magician was too lazy to be bothered. Besides, dinner would have probably been some kind of mushroom stew anyway.

With a spark of realization, she stood up and snapped her fingers. "That's it! I'll just visit Alice today and get some food off her."

Calling her broom from around the corner of the shrine house, she hopped onto it deftly and pointed it in the direction of the forest of magic. Without a moments delay and destination in mind, she took off.

Alice was just finishing a batch of her newest cookie recipe when she noticed Marisa flying in from afar. "Shanghai!" She called to her house-doll. "Please prepare the _special tea_ for our guest."

" _Shanghaiiii!"_ It replied happily, setting about the kitchen.

"Ooooii! Alice! Ya here?" Marisa's calls were punctuated by sharp knocks at the door. With a loud bang, she burst through, tumbling onto the ground. "Ack! Ow!"

Sighing, Alice leaned over her with an inquisitive look. "Why did you do that?"

Groaning, Marisa got to her feet, brushing herself off. "Well, usually yer door's locked. So I tried to, uh, force it open."

"Do you _usually_ do that when I'm not here?"

"U-uh, n-no…"

Waving her hand, Alice dismissed the thought. "Never mind. So what did you want anyways?" Despite having been rudely interrupted, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed to have the company of her favorite person over today. Not only that, but her _favorite_ person could enjoy the new recipe she made.

Marisa grinned and sat down at a table in the kitchen. "I was feelin kinda hungry. Thought maybe you'd have somethin' good to eat."

"Of course you did. Well, you're in luck. I have something special for you today." Alice presented a plate of the cookies to her guest. "Don't hold back now. Shanghai's making some tea, so you can have that too."

"Hey, thanks! Don't mind if I do!" Without hesitation, the magician took a bite of the baked treat, humming in delight. "Wow! These are really good! What did you put in them?" She looked up between bites, already chowing down on a third.

Smiling creepily, Alice responded, "Just a _special_ new spice _._ Do you _… feel different_?"

Stopping, Marisa cautiously eyed her host. "What do you me-"

Her sentence was cut short as she fell over out of the chair, and sprawled onto the floor, twitching and foaming at the mouth. The girl's eyes were rolled back into her head in a freakish way.

Writing down the results of the new cookie, Alice took the kettle off the stove that Shanghai had prepared earlier. Pouring the contents into a cup, she gently tipped it into Marisa's facial orifice. "Drink up, you won't die if you do. It'll be a couple minutes to take effect."

The girl gurgled and twitched in response.

Seating herself, she waited patiently for the antidote to work. Memories of last week began to float into her mind as she wondered if this was the right thing to do.

 **-** _ **A week ago**_ **-**

Knock-Knock. Someone was at the door.

"Shanghai! Can you get that please?" Alice called out from her seat in the living room, enjoying a cup of tea.

Moments later, the sound of soft feet approaching brought her attention to the hallway.

A cute rabbit girl with short black hair, a pink dress, and a carrot shaped trinket wandered in lazily. Her eyes betrayed a sense of boredom, no doubt on an errand of some kind.

"Oh! It's unusual to see someone from Eientei, especially the troublemaker. Can I help you with something?"

Tewi Inaba sighed and crossed her arms behind her head. "Eirin-sama sent me here to invite you over. Did you wanna come?"

"An invitation? Out of the blue?"

"I dunno, I guess there's something she wants to show you, or whatever."

Strange. Alice considered it quietly as Tewi shifted in her place impatiently.

"Soooo, are you coming?"

There wasn't much to lose in going. "Sure, let me grab a bag first."

"Fiiine."

Alice got up and disappeared into a closet, rustling around. After a minute, she reappeared with a small satchel. "I'm ready. Shanghai, please watch the house while I'm gone."

The doll nodded happily.

Tewi was already starting out the door, not bothering to look back to see if she was following.

Locking the door, Alice began the long walk to Eientei with her guide.

The trip passed uneventfully, Gensokyo's green fields passing them by. Before long, the Bamboo Forest loomed before them, dark and mysterious.

"Keep close," remarked Tewi over her shoulder. "Unless you wanna get lost."

There was no doubt in Alice's mind that she wasn't going to wander off. Even for her, finding the way back through the forest would take a long time, maybe even days. The magic in this place could turn anyone around, except for its rabbit inhabitants of course.

As they continued down different paths, the light grew dimmer, less of it filtering in from the canopy above. The air began to feel different too, heavier. No doubt the mystic aura of this place.

Suddenly, Tewi put up her hand and signaled to stop.

Wondering what was going on, Alice looked around anxiously. A rustle to their front revealed two stern rabbit girls with spears. They looked like Tewi, but much gruffer, no doubt guards or soldiers.

After a short exchange and glances her way, Tewi motioned for Alice to keep following. The guards led them down another path that she could've sworn didn't exist before.

Once more, everything around them seemed to change subtly as they continued. Unless you were paying close attention, you would never notice that the forest you entered wasn't the forest you walked in now.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the gates to Eientei, the mansion something like the traditional palaces of feudal Japan. With a great groan, the gates slowly opened to allow them through.

Alice followed Tewi inside, the two guards nodding to her as they returned to their posts, apparently not accompanying them further.

This wasn't her first visit, but every time she came, it was always an experience. Perhaps the magic had something to do with that too.

Tewi led her into a comfortable waiting room. "Please take a seat. Eirin-sama will be here shortly."

Alice nodded as the rabbit girl left, another taking her place and serving her a cup of tea. "Oh, thank you!"

The girl nodded and bowed, smiling as she exited the room.

Quiet. After some hours of walking along crunching earth and grass, the silence was almost deafening to Alice. She held the tea cup and sipped it gingerly, surprised at its rich and soothing flavor. Sighing, the puppeteer allowed herself to relax and loosen up.

A few minutes later, the sound of approaching footsteps brought her attention to the doorway. Eirin Yagokoro appeared and smiled as she saw her.

"Ah, so you did come, Ms. Margatroid. I hope you are comfortable."

"I am, thank you very much."

"If you would follow me to my lab, I have something to share with you."

"Of course, please, lead the way."

Nodding, Eirin turned and began to walk away, Alice hurriedly following behind.

They went down a few hallways, passing rabbit girls carrying dishes, tools, and various other things. Something that was never made clear to Alice was the population of, well, rabbits here. They were from the moon, yes. Er, Their leaders anyway. But, why so many? It was charming though, in a cute way.

Eirin led her into a room filled with scientific equipment, tables laden with tubes, vials, beakers, and all sorts of experimental tools. Cages were stacked in the corner, though there didn't seem to be anything in them. One wall was covered with cabinets, no doubt more storage space for reagents.

"Please, have a seat with me at my desk here."

Plopping down, Alice patiently waited for Eirin to sit and gather herself. The doctor rummaged for something before producing two small boxes of similar appearance. One was grey, and the other black.

"This is a new herb I've grown and cultivated. Its effects are only visible when ingested, so I need someone to test it for me."

Concerned, Alice eyed them cautiously. "Ingested? Why me then?"

Smiling, Eirin continued, "Well, you operate a bakery of some sort now, correct? I'm asking you to incorporate this herb into something you make."

"Whoa, hold on, I can't serve this to my customers! I'll lose my business license, and the trust of everyone who enjoys my products! Not to mention that nobody would even agree to eat them."

"Ah, you're right." Eirin held her chin in thought. "I'd almost forgotten that society would frown upon such a thing… Then why don't you test it on someone more… _Familiar_?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you understand. Besides, they don't need to know it's inside your goods. I'm only interested in the results."

Alice shook her head. "I won't do it. Even if I agreed, what do you have to offer me for this? It's a bit much for just a favor."

With a smirk, the doctor looked at her knowingly. "Of course it is. But there's something I can share with you regarding a certain someone. Someone you would be very interesting in hearing about."

She had a bad feeling about this. Whatever Eirin knew, it was probably something that even Marisa couldn't know. So what was it?

"Don't you want to know?"

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

A moment of silence. The doctor breathed in deeply and crossed her fingers, looking Alice in the eyes with a piercing stare. "Reimu Hakurei."

Surprised, Alice nearly stood from her seat, but remained composed. "R-Reimu? What do you mean? She's… she's gone already."

Eirin coughed lightly and tapped her chin. "Yes, she _is_ deceased. Dead by all scientific and medical reasons. But she isn't gone."

Not gone? The words bounced around in Alice's head, incomprehensible. Just what was Eirin trying to tell her? "I… I don't understand what you mean. If you're talking about her soul, it's impossible. Shikieiki-san has even said that returning a soul from hades cannot be done. It would disrupt the balance of life and death."

"Well," began Eirin slowly. "You're right about her soul. But it's not in Hades, at least, according to the evidence I've heard."

Impossible. Alice couldn't believe that Reimu never made it to the afterlife. But then, did that mean she was somewhere else?

The doctor continued with her explanation, leaning back and resting her hands in her lap. "You see, I have reason to believe that Reimu is still with us in spirit, much closer than you might believe. My cute little assistant, Udonge, has a friend in the Netherworld that she likes to visit quite often. Youmu Konpaku is her name."

"Udonge has told me that Hakugyokurou, the place her friend lives with her glutton master, has been different since about two months ago. The spirits that inhabit the area have changed their daily movements, seeming to converge on the house more than before. Not only that, but she also said that she'd overhear Youmu referring to someone that wasn't there. Youmu was referring to Reimu by name, speaking as if they were conversing. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Alice began to shake, emotions clouding her thoughts. She was barely able to manage a nod, to Eirin's amusement.

"Here," said the doctor, pushing a cup with bluish liquid toward her. "Drink this, it will calm you. Don't worry, it's not poison, just a calming agent that clears your mind."

Taking it graciously, she sipped the drink slowly. It tasted cool and sweet, immediately calming her nerves just like Eirin said. Whatever it was, it worked wonders. "T-thank you," she said with a light smile.

"Understand that this information is not to be spread lightly. But you can do what you wish with it."

Nodding, Alice searched her mind for a reply. "Then… how did she end up there. If it's really her?"

"I assume she was picked up by Yuyuko Saigyouji at some point, before her soul could make it to Hades."

"But… wouldn't Shikieiki-san have known about this?"

"Perhaps, but the yama has not come out with it."

"Mm."

A few minutes passed in silence. Eirin, seeing that Alice was unable to bring up any more points, due to the shocking news she had just heard, stood. "Very well, I believe that is all for this visit. Do you require more of the relaxant?"

Alice looked up with a surprised quip, quickly rising out of her seat and shaking her head. "N-no, I'm quite alright. I can make the trip back, I just need to sort my thoughts later."

"If you say so. Then, for your part in this: my herb?"

She'd forgotten about the shady experiment that Eirin had wanted her to test in the beginning. Well, there wasn't much to do now but accept it and figure something out. "I'll do it. To thank you for… the information."

"Excellent." Eirin smiled and handed her the boxes. "The rabbits will lead you back out. Do take care Ms. Margatroid."

Tewi reappeared at the doorway with the same bored attitude she had as before.

Depositing them in the satchel she brought, the puppeteer bowed and followed the rabbit girl out the same way she was brought in before.

No doubt this was Eirin's plan all along. The crafty doctor knew exactly what she was doing, but for what? What could it possibly interest her?

They walked out the gates and down the path. Alice thought they were following the same one from before… but it was different. Somehow, they were going a new way out of the forest. The magic in this place was quite something, and only the rabbits knew their way around it.

Almost ten minutes later, they popped out of the forest into Gensokyo's green fields. The trip out was **much** shorter than it was going in. Incomprehensible.

Tewi stopped. "Well, that's it I guess. I don't have to lead you _all_ the way back, do I?"

Chuckling, Alice shook her head. "No, of course not. Thank you Tewi. Maybe you're not as much a troublemaker as I thought?"

"How about a tip then?" A sly grin crept across the girl's face.

"Never mind. I take that back." A thought crossed her mind and she checked her pockets and satchel for anything missing. "Right, all there. Come visit sometime then, and I'll make you a nice treat."

"Heh, maybe if I'm bored again. See ya!"

Alice waved as the girl turned and disappeared back into the forest's dark depths. She began walking back home, but questions of Reimu tugged at her mind endlessly.

 **-Present-**

Marisa's twitching slowed as her breathing evened out. The antidote worked faster than expected, beating the estimated time of a couple minutes to seconds. Realizing that her friend was fine, Alice walked back over to the stove to prepare a proper cup of tea.

"Guh, uggghhhhh, what the hell did ya do to me?!" The magician had sat up and was rubbing her head in pain. "Geez, owww."

"Just a little test run for a new spice. Looks like it didn't go over well for you though."

"Man, Alice, that was just poison! Ya tryin to kill me?" She very wobbly got to her feet, resting a hand on a chair for support.

"You were never in danger to begin with, Marisa. Still, thanks for being the subject."

"Well… guess I'm fine… but how did you know what the antidote was?"

Ah crap. Alice didn't think about having to explain that part. She needed an excuse, and quick. Remembering what Eirin told her, she couldn't just go blabbing about what happened. Especially not to Marisa. Knowing her, she'd jump on her broom and head to Hakugyoukurou right away. She'd probably get killed in the process of desperately struggling to get Reimu back. She couldn't know. Not now.

It took a moment, but the puppeteer slowly hatched an idea. "I-I uh, have been experimenting with new, uh, herbal techniques. This one is a Chinese herb that Meiling showed me. Yeah, it's a, uh, an oriental method."

A pair of suspicious eyes glared at her. There was something up, and Marisa knew Alice was hiding it. "Really? The gatekeeper from the mansion?"

"Y-yeah, is that weird?"

"It is."

"…"

"…"

"You got it from someone, didn't you?"

"… Yes."

"I knew it. So, who gave it to you?"

Thinking about it a little more, Alice realized that it probably wasn't that bad to tell her about the experiment for Eirin, excluding the bit about Reimu of course. Come to think of it, how did Eirin even know what the antidote was?

She sighed before spilling the story. "I got an invitation from Eirin to visit Eientei. She gave me these herbs to test, and asked me to report what happened. In return, I get access to edible herbs that she can procure from the bamboo forest. It means I can expand my menu."

"Whaaaaat? You actually did a favor for that crazy doctor?"

"Well, I'm not against visiting the place. It's kinda cool, anyways."

"Whatever. I'm still hungry though. And now my head hurts."

Scribbling that down on a pad, Alice looked at her friend expectantly. "Anything else? Feel weird, grow anything weird, lose anything- I need all that."

"I'm fine! I just want some foooooood."

She paused. "Ah, on second thought, your head hurting is probably due to when you hit the side of the table on the way down. But that's not important right now. I hear there's a concert going on in the Village that the Moriya's are hosting."

"H-hey, my head!"

"Wanna go?"

Grumbling, Marisa realized she wasn't going to get anywhere with the cookie experiment anymore. "If there's food, I'm down."

Alice smiled. "We can stop by my shop while we're there. For now, have this muffin."

Marisa gave a cheer of happiness, accepting the treat. She paused with it halfway to her mouth, eyeing Alice suspiciously again. "This… this doesn't have somethin _special_ mixed in, does it?"

"No, just a regular muffin."

She looked at it cautiously. "If you say so." With a deliberate slowness, she took a small bite. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, this is pretty good too!" Throwing caution to the wind, Marisa wolfed it down, disregarding any concern that it was tampered with.

Grabbing her traveling satchel, Alice gave a command to her house-keeping dolls to take care while she was gone. "Are you ready, Marisa?"

Crumbs on her face, she nodded. "Let's ride my broom. It'll be faster that way."

"Sure."

They stepped outside, the cool late-autumn air tickling their faces. It was about midday now, with the sun hanging high overhead.

Locking the door, Alice climbed onto the broom behind Marisa, hooking her arms around the girl.

Blushing, Marisa looked back with a surprised expression. "H-hey, your hands…"

"I don't want to fall."

"But… you can fly."

She didn't respond, but held tighter.

Sighing, Marisa shrugged. "F-fine. Hold tight!"

To tell the truth, it was part of Alice's plan to get as close to the magician as possible. She had originally intended to… _enjoy_ Marisa while she was incapacitated with the herb, but the antidote worked too quickly. Although, this was good too.

As they passed over the green-brown of Gensokyo below, the autumn colors a beautiful blur, she couldn't help but feel intoxicated by Marisa's scent. It wafted to her through the girl's clothes, a soft, but grassy smell with a faint hint of flowers. What she would give to be able to take it in even closer, without the clothes in the way…

Shaking her head, Alice snapped out of her delirious fantasy. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. But certainly, there was time later.

They were soon coming in over the village, the sounds of some kind of musical ruckus rising up from below. A large mob was gathered around a stage in the center of town, a band performing upon it.

Setting down at the entrance, the two girls began to make their way towards the excitement, already looking forward to the show. Well, at least Alice was. Marisa might've been in it still for the food.

Sanae's voice cut a beautiful, haunting melody over the cheers of the crowd, the band playing a sorrowful ballad to her words.

Nudging their way through, the girls finally found a spot where they could get a view of the stage.

Up front was the shrine maiden, her eyes closed as she focused on her singing. Kanako played the guitar, while Suwako played the bass. Aya banged on the drums, and Momiji pressed a keyboard.

The band was incredible. Their music reached a place in everyone's hearts that nothing else could. With no signs of stopping, the Moriya N' Friends played through song after song, ballad to rock to fun.

Marisa nudged Alice. "Ain't this awesome?!"

She nodded emphatically. "Yeah, it's really good!"

They got lost in the sounds. Before she knew it, an hour had passed. Alice looked around for her friend, but Marisa seemed to have disappeared somewhere. In a small moment of panic, she looked about desperately, but was relieved when she spotted the magician's iconic hat bobbing a few bodies away.

Gently jostling her way over, she slowly squeezed through the crowd. But something caught her eye.

A girl with light brown hair and a pink ribbon stood off in the crowd, strikingly out of place. Something about her seemed familiar, until Alice realized she was the girl that had appeared in her shop that one day.

A mix of emotions gripped Alice. What was that girl doing here? Eirin's words echoing in her head, she began to push towards her, desperate to get a closer look.

Suddenly, a large man bumped into the puppeteer, blocking her view of the girl. He quickly apologized as Alice smiled and nodded, pushing around him.

The girl was looking straight at her, auburn eyes gleaming in the late sunlight. She smiled.

Her view was blocked again, but by the time Alice could see, she was gone.

Looking around, she could see no trace of the girl. Was she really here? Maybe it was just her imagination…

No, it couldn't be. There was no coincidence that the girl was here, and at the shop that day. It was definitely her. But just who was she? Could it have been Reimu? Did Reimu reincarnate a new body?

These questions plagued Alice, but a hand upon her shoulder brought her out of the daze.

Marisa was looking at her with a grin, the excitement of the concert obviously having had an effect on her. "Hey, you alright?"

Quickly putting her mind away, she smiled and nodded. "Y-yeah. Just had a spark of inspiration for a new recipe."

"Cool. Speaking of which, we gonna get some food, or what?"

Remembering what she said, Alice thought of a better idea. "I believe there is an after-party at the shrine later. Why don't we go there early? There's definitely some good food there."

With a shrug, the magician nodded. "Wherever we can get somethin to eat."

"Well, let's go now then."

"Sure."

Squeezing their way through, the girls made it out of the tangle of the crowd. Marisa called her broom, and they hopped onto it, lifting up and over the village.

Moriya shrine was only a few minutes away, visible in the distance on Youkai Mountain.

As they flew, Alice couldn't help but feel a tinge of hope. If what Eirin said was true, then Reimu was still around, somewhere, even if they couldn't see her. And then, there was that girl.

Somehow, it all made sense. And yet, the truth still remained.

The dead could not come back.


	11. What Happened Last Night?

Touhou Border of Good and Evil

Ch.11 "So… What Happened Last Night?"

Alice looked down at the sleeping and vulnerable girl in her lap, gently brushing a lock of golden hair away from her face. They sat in the Moriya Shrine house.

With a careful touch, she enjoyed her warm skin and supple lips.

Hold on a second. Supple… lips?

Marisa's sleeping form was too adorable for the puppeteer to handle. Too cute. Too beautiful, peaceful.

Too easy.

No. No, no, no, no, **no.** She couldn't violate their friendship like that.

But then again… _violation_ was certainly the word of the day.

Lips pursed, Alice closed in on her target like a hungry animal. Breath ragged, chest heaving, and palms sweaty, she could feel the heat from Marisa's face only inches away.

"Marisa…" she whispered.

The magician's eyes flew open to the sight of Alice's face contorted in a terrifying expression.

"AHHHHHHH!" She screamed and pushed away, scrambling in fear. "A-A-A-Alice! W-what were ya doin?!"

She sat completely unfazed, straightening to a proper posture. "I don't know what you mean."

"H-huh? Ya were gonna k-k-k-kiss me!" Marisa stuttered, her chest heaving.

"Hm? Oh, that? I was merely checking on your breathing. If you needed it, I was going to perform CPR as well."

The magician stood unsteadily, finding her hat in the corner and stumbling towards the door. With a cry, she tripped and fell face first, groaning as the world began to spin, head pounding.

"Careful!" Cried Alice, rushing forward and helping her friend up. "You had a lot to drink last night, so it's best if you don't over exert yourself."

Unable to resist, Marisa let herself be led by the perverse puppeteer back to a table in the room, being set down on a soft cushion.

"Just relax for now, you need the rest."

"Mnng…"

Her head felt as though someone had struck it with a sledgehammer, got zapped by a million volts of electricity, and was simultaneously being mushed into a brainy paste. Every beat of her heart sent piercing needles of pain shooting through it, every second agony.

At that moment, Sanae walked in with a bundle of vials and towels. She smiled warmly at Marisa and set them down on the table. "Kirisame-san, I've prepared some tonics to help you with your hangover. Don't worry about the taste, they're cherry flavored."

Marisa looked at the vials with hesitation. They were cherry flavored supposedly, but the liquid inside was _green_. "Um, I'm not so sure if I want to ze…"

"Please go ahead, trust me. It's a special Moriya recipe!"

"That's just what I'm worried about…"

Even though the prospect of drinking the potentially unpredictable tonics was iffy, the pain that the magician was going through easily trumped that.

"Augh, y'know what? Whatever. Bottoms up!" Grabbing one without delay and ripping off the stopper savagely (spilling no less than a quarter of it onto her dress), she chugged the tonic.

Seconds went by.

And the taste… the taste was…

Very much so cherry flavored. And delicious too.

Almost immediately, her headache eased away, and the stiffness in her limbs loosened. "Whoa, this stuff sure is great, ze." She jumped up, stretching and sighing in pleasure. "Aw yeah. Say, ya wouldn't mind if I borrowed the recipe, would ya?"

"Haha, sorry. I'm afraid not," chuckled the shrine maiden.

"Aww, too bad eh. But I might just get ahold of it anyways."

Alice put a hand on Marisa's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better!"

"Good, good."

Sanae bowed quickly and began to leave the room. "When you're ready Ms. Kirisame, please come outside. There… is something you must see."

"Huh?"

The shrine maiden walked out, a slight blush on her cheeks, her footsteps fading away.

"Hey Alice, whaddid she mean by that?"

"Well," the puppeteer began. "A lot of things happened last night. But uh… you should probably see it for yourself."

"Last night? Did… did I do something?"

Alice looked away. "I uh… it's kinda… hard to explain. Let's just go outside, and you'll see."

Marisa shrugged and sighed. "Whatever."

After waiting a minute to let the last of the haze lift from her mind, the magician followed Alice outside.

The sight that awaited them was nothing less than a holocaust of festive proportions. Unconscious humans and youkai lay strewn all over the courtyard, the remnants of last night's drunken lawlessness.

Marisa spotted Aya hanging by her panties from a tree, bare save for her underwear. The tengu showed no signs of life.

Even the Kappa, Nitori, was floating naked face down in an inflatable pool, empty bottles drifting around her. Upon closer inspection, the intense odor coming from it nearly made Marisa vomit, and pass out. It wasn't water that was in there.

It was pure alcohol.

Scenes like this were all over the shrine. Gensokyo's residents (at least the ones that showed for the party yesterday) lay unconscious in strange places and strange ways. Another thing to note: almost everyone had lost their clothing to some degree or another.

There were the unfortunate who were completely nude, shame on full display for all to see (but fortunately for them, there wasn't anyone conscious to see anyways), the ones with just underwear on, and the luckier few missing merely a pair of pants or shirt.

Shocked, and pinching her nose, Marisa called out to Alice who was using her dolls to distribute portions of the tonic. "Hey, uh, are you gonna tell me what happened?" She used her foot to roll over the body of Keine Kamishirasawa. "Man, even you huh? At least you can eat the history… maybe."

Alice called back, accepting another bundle of tonics from Sanae who was busy running back and forth from the house. "Hold on, let me finish this. I'll, uh, explain to you what happened. You should… you should know."

"Alright."

"Actually, would you mind giving me a hand? My dolls can only get so much of this stuff to them."

"Sure thing. Gimme some of that good stuff." Marisa hopped over and took a few of the bottles, pocketing one to study for later.

 **Girls Now Helping…**

Sighing, the magician sat down next to Alice on the porch, the late sun shining down on the field of bare buttocks before them. If it wasn't for the heavy scent of alcohol (and other sorts of scents), the whole scene would've been pretty peaceful. But, in a weird way, it was.

Alice turned to her friend with a serious look. "Are you ready?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, right. Lay it on me."

She grabbed Marisa by the shoulders.

"H-hey! What're you-"

"Promise me, don't freak out over what I'm about to tell you. You MUST remain calm."

"S-sure, I'm ready."

The puppeteer let go and breathed deeply, letting it out slowly. "Very well, I shall begin. Last night, you were the main perpetrator behind all of this."

Marisa jumped in surprise. "W-what?! Me?!"

"Remain calm."

"Ah… right."

"So, you got drunk, and everyone else too. REALLY drunk. It began as a competition where you challenged everyone, betting your OWN BODY on whoever could out drink you first, any and all challengers welcome. Naturally, a lot of people took you up on that. Er, it started that way anyways. And then… the drinking fever just kinda spread like a virus."

"Man… I did that? Did… did anyone…" she swallowed anxiously. "Did anyone win?"

"No. The oni, Suika, ended up coming over and out drinking everyone. But she didn't stick around to drink against you. I'm actually not sure where she is now… Anywaaaays, you got a party together and in your drunken reverie, led a raid on the tengu village."

"Oh… Oh god."

"Uh huh. That's not the last of it. I'll be quick and just list the rest: After that you ran through the village naked, set fire to Akyuu's house (she's passed out over there by the way), crashed a ten-year old's birthday party (still naked), took Sanae's purity, began a religion with yourself as the god, and drew a bad picture of Shikieiki-san on the back of the house."

With a look of disbelief, Marisa groaned. "Oh… no…. What have I- uh, hold on. W-What did you say about Sanae?"

"Hm?" With a flat look, Alice replied, "You took Sanae's purity," adding, "you thief," under her breath.

"A-are you serious?" The magician looked over and made eye contact with the shrine maiden who was in the yard. She blushed and looked away, immediately running off out of sight. "What…"

"If you're confused about the time at all, it's the day after the party. The partying went on until this morning."

"Man…." A feeling of terror and despair began to creep into Marisa's body.

"Something worrying you? Well, I suppose you _should_ be."

"If I did all that… then the judge'll be here before long."

"Yep."

"Yer not worried for me?"

"Evil deserves what evil gets." Alice turned away with a dismissive look.

"Wait, are ya pissed at me?"

The sound of echoing footsteps came from the front of the shrine.

"Well, looks like she's finally here."

"You mean…"

Speak of the devil, and he (she) shall appear. The judge, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu appeared with her assistant, Komachi in tow.

"O-oh, oh no. I gotta get outta here!" Marisa scrambled desperately for her broom, calling it to her fingertips. With a wild leap, she hopped on it and pushed forward.

But it didn't move.

"Huh?! What's wrong? MOVE!"

An icy grip paralyzed the terrified magician, rendering her unable to move. Shikieiki's voice whispered into her ear.

"Ms. Kirisame… you weren't trying to run… were you? Running from the law? You know what that means for someone like you?"

Marisa shook in terror as the judge leaned closer, her breath cold on the girl's neck.

"People like you get punished. I'm going to make you remember what happens when you cause so much chaos with a sermon."

Slowly, the magician turned.

"And I call this sermon… THE ROD OF REPENTANCE!"

The last thing Marisa saw was Shikieiki reeling back and bringing her rod down in a vicious arc.

Darkness.

Emptiness.

Suddenly, a breath of wind upon her cheeks. She opened her eyes to find herself laying in the middle of Hakurei Shrine. "Huh?" she quipped aloud in surprise. "What happened? Was… was that a dream just now?" A pang of pain went through her head. There was a thick branch on the ground beside her. "Maybe… maybe I imagined all that…"

There was a rustling coming from inside the house. Someone was rummaging around.

Concerned, she called out. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A familiar face poked out. "Oh, Marisa? I didn't realize you were here. Come over and help me out, would you?"

The magician remained frozen in place, shocked.

"Huh? Are you just going to stand there? Whatever then. I don't know what's up with you, but I don't care."

Snapping out of it, Marisa began to walk over. She slowly entered the building and found her friend, Reimu, moving a mess of boxes around.

"Oh? You actually came over. Give me a hand and stack these out on the porch. I'm gonna move them into storage later."

"R…Reimu?"

She looked over boredly. "Yeah, it's me. What's with you? You're kinda weird today. Actually, you're always that way."

"U-uh, it's just that I… You're supposed to be…"

"What? C'mon stop stuttering and help me, jeez."

Still, it was all too strange. But her uncertainty was laid to rest when Reimu placed her warm hands over her own.

"Look at me," began the shrine maiden. "And get it together." She slapped her hands together, leaving a stinging red mark.

"OOOOWWWW!" Marisa rubbed her now burning hands, groaning. "What the hell ya idiot! That really hurt!"

"Heh, you back to your senses yet? Just grab this stuff and move. Move!" She thrust a box into her hands.

"Man, always the same with you, ze."

Reimu grinned, picking up her own load and heading outside.

This felt right, just like it always was, the two of them working side by side, no matter what. Day or night, rain or shine, they joined forces to conquer any foe. Even if the foe was only a pile of boxes.

Their movements were practiced and precise, in sync with each other on a level that was possible only through their friendship.

Before long, the two girls were sitting on the porch, leaning back and enjoying the evening sun. It shone down upon them with a warm grace.

"Haaaah, just like old times, eh Reimu?"

"Sure, I guess." She sighed. "Thanks for coming and helping today."

"Hey, no problem, ze. But I might ask you for a favor in the future."

"Of course you would. Um, would you like some tea or something? I guess I can do that at least."

Smiling, Marisa shook her head. "Doesn't feel right to take from such a poor miko, ya know?"

"Hey! I'm not _that_ poor."

"Suuuuure."

With a dismissive "hmph," Reimu turned away and looked back to the sun. It shone brilliantly in her eyes, almost too beautiful to be real.

They sat peacefully for a few minutes, enjoying their time together. Marisa was happy; she felt comfortable in this moment, for it was right. Like it always should be. Everything else was just a dream.

At length, Reimu broke the silence and looked over with a smile. "You know, I never thought I'd see you again."

"Huh? Whaddya mean? Ya see me all the time."

"Marisa… you already know."

It couldn't be. No, this was wrong.

"R-Reimu… what are ya sayin?" She felt something tugging at the back of her mind.

The miko's expression turned bittersweet, her happy face saddening, yet still smiling. "I'm glad we could meet at least one more time, just like the old days. Even if this is just an illusion. Even if it isn't really me."

That's right. She'd almost lost herself in this world. Marisa felt the reality around her begin to shift and fall apart. It's seemingly perfect beauty becoming more and more flawed. Rather, it was _too perfect_ , to be real.

The shrine maiden continued, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I really missed you, Marisa, I did. That day… All I could think about was living, so I could be with you. But… the truth is the truth. We can't change the past, it's impossible. Maybe we can stop time, or "eat" history, but you can't change the inevitable truth. The memory might differ, but reality always lurks underneath."

Her tears came like a torrential rain, flooding down her stricken face. Marisa leapt forward and gathered her friend into her arms, hugging tightly, never wanting to let go. "I-I won't say goodbye like this! Not again! I can't lose you again, Reimu, I love you!"

A warm hand brushed her cheek. "I know, Marisa. I know. But, you have to let go. Really. This isn't the real me anyways. I'm just part of an illusion that _you_ created. You know the truth."

"No! No no no no no! I won't let you go! Please, I beg of you! Please…" Her cries turned to desperate sobs, choking breaths.

"Marisa… Please let go…"

She didn't respond, only hugging tighter.

Reimu frowned. "Marisa… if you don't go, you might not wake up again. Please, you have to end this illusion."

A minute passed, an eternity to the magician. But she understood what needed to be done. She released her hold reluctantly, wiping away the wet stains on her face and looking up at her friend.

The miko smiled sweetly. "Thank you. If I could, I would tell you so much more. I would stay here forever with you, so we could live in this Gensokyo like we used to. But I can't do that to you. You know that. I must let go of you, and you of me. You know this, Marisa."

Through gritted teeth, she nodded and responded. "I… I know. Thanks, ze."

"Thank you Marisa… I'm really glad we could say goodbye like this…"

She closed her eyes, forcing a small, bittersweet smile. "Yeah, thank you too. I'm glad for everythin myself. You were my best friend, I won't forget that. Never. Even if I have ta say goodbye here, I won't say goodbye to yer memory."

"I'm happy to hear that. Well, then. Perhaps when we meet in another life. Goodbye, Marisa."

"Goodbye… Reimu. Goodbye… friend."

A small breeze brushed her face, and the magician looked up to see that Reimu had disappeared. The Shrine looked like it was after her passing. The boxes were gone, as if they never stacked them together.

She looked out towards the setting sun, darkness beginning to settle slowly over the shrine. "Thanks again, buddy. I won't forget ya." Smiling, Marisa closed her eyes and felt the world slip away.

 **Girl Regaining Consciousness…**

"H….huh?" Marisa slowly opened her eyes to the sight of Alice leaning over her with a terrifying expression. "AHHHHHHH!" She scrambled away, backing up into a boulder with a thud. "Ugh!"

"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling, Marisa?"

"W-what were ya tryin ta do, ya perverted puppeteer?!"

Alice frowned in annoyance. "I am not perverted! How dare you accuse me of such."

"Tch, sure- ughhhh, my heeeeaaaad." The magician's head was pounding again, but not from a hangover.

Another face came into view, leaning over her. "So, Ms. Kirisame, you came back to the land of the living. I thought I would actually have to sentence your soul for a while there."

"AHHHHHH!"

Shikieiki straightened up and crossed her arms. "You're pretty lucky you woke up. I could see your spirit leaving its body."

"D-d-d-don't say stuff like that, ze, owwwww."

"Hmph. Because of you, I had to spend an entire day sorting out the mess that you created. You know how many of these people here actually died for a while and ended up waiting at the Sanzu river? When Komachi told me that all our friends (If you'd call them that) were dead, I had to come over and see. Death by drinking is very close to suicide, you know."

"Aw man," whined Marisa, slowly getting up and seating herself on the boulder. The setting sun blinded her, and she had to raise her hand to get a good look at the judge. "You're gonna give me another sermon?"

"Hah, as if I had the time for that. In any case, I told Komachi not to ferry them over, and before long, they started to disappear, returning to their bodies. I assume that was partly the work of that shrine maiden and her… medicines."

"Yeah, stuff's pretty good, ze."

"Hm. It saved me a lot of trouble, luckily for you. However we're not done yet. You caused a lot of problems, so I'm going to be sticking with you for the next few days until it's all cleared up."

"Whaaaaat?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"N-no…."

"Hmph. By the way… did you draw that… _thing_ on the back of the house?"

"Uh… no?"

"So you say." Shikieiki looked at her suspiciously. "I know you're lying. But you'll get your just desserts soon enough, you scum. Before we get to work fixing things, do you have any stupid questions?"

A thought struck Marisa. "A-actually… I do have one."

"What is it? If it's about the punishment for taking an innocent maiden's purity against her will, then you don't want to know."

"E-eh? That really happened? A-ah, never mind, ze. What I want ta ask is, uh…"

Impatient, Shikieki tapped her rod against her arm. "Out with it."

"O-okay okay, jeez. So uh, yer the judge of the dead n' all. You know who goes over the Sanzu, right?"

"That's common knowledge, but yes. It's part of the job. Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Yeah, yeah. So, if that's true, then…" she hesitated for a moment, unsure if what she was about to ask would be okay.

"Come on Kirisame, we don't have all day. I'm gonna tack a year onto your sentence for wasting my time."

"Fine! Did ya ever see Reimu's soul? You must've judged her by now, right?"

"Ah. That was your question. Well… let me see. How do I answer that…" Shikieiki, closed her eyes and pondered, figuring out a way to phrase her response that would make sense.

Alice looked at them worriedly. Marisa couldn't know, not now. But how could she get Shikieiki-san's attention?

"Well," began the judge. "It's more complicated for shrine maidens since their representatives of gods and what not. But, in truth it seems that her soul hasn't-"

A powerful blast of wind cut across the courtyard, blowing bottles, clothes, dirt, and debris everywhere.

"Agh! What the? What's goin on?!" Marisa shielded her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of wherever the wind was coming from.

"Could it be… _them_?" Alice was using her dolls to cover herself, their protection allowing her to look about freely.

Shikieiki nodded. "That's right! Looks like the first of your drunken escapades has come to collect its dues, Kirisame!"

"Huh? What do you mean?!" She yelled over the howling wind.

Sanae came outside, pushing against the powerful gale. Pointing towards the setting sun, she yelled out. "The tengu! There's a flock of tengu coming this way, and they're armed for war!"


	12. Goin' and Gone

Ch.12

Goin' and Gone

The sun was blotted out by a feathery mass of Tengu headed for Moriya shrine. As they descended into the courtyard, a massive windstorm was kicked up, picking up Marisa and blowing her away.

"OHHH SHIII-" The magician screamed as she flew, barely managing to grab a thick tree branch before being tossed off the mountain. She held on for dear life, eyes squeezed shut whilst praying to the gods for salvation.

The storm suddenly subsided.

Marisa fell on her butt with a solid thump, crying in pain as she landed. "Agh! Owwww, maaaan."

"Don't move," commanded a cold voice.

She froze and looked up to see a large blade inches from her face. "Ah….."

Momiji watched her closely, ready to separate her head from her shoulders should she pull any funny moves. The guard dog (wolf?) frowned with a quiet anger, obviously finding Marisa a distasteful subject to be near. "Damn troublemaker. I should kill you where you kneel," she growled.

Marisa nervously chuckled. "Ahaha… If it means anythin', I don't remember what happened…"

Cold steel kissed the underside of her chin as Momiji growled.

Tengu were all over the shrine, surveying the extent of damage, making notes and helping where they could. Sanae directed them to move the unconscious patrons indoors, and to begin distributing her "tonic."

A group was rescuing Aya from the tree, shielding their eyes from her naked form as they did so. Without delay, a set of plain robes was put on the nude tengu. She was still completely insensate, but there was no doubt her shame would be kept a secret by everyone.

Marisa put on her best smile in an attempt to charm Momiji, and get a little moving room. "Soooo, uh, how are ya?"

"What do you want?" The last part of the sentence was enunciated with a sharp snap of the guard dog's jaw.

"U-uh, just sayin, ya know. I think you guys are neat n' all, and it would be awesome to get ta know ya. I mean, it must be pretty awesome havin that beautiful white fur, and luscious tail! And your eyes, they're sooooo deep, I think-"

"Shut up!" Momiji pulled back and slashed forward, removing a large chunk of the magician's hair. A small cut appeared on the girl's cheek.

Trembling, Marisa quickly nodded and quietly settled down, resigning herself. The tiny wound on her face stung, but the shame of giving in stung more.

The female tengu chief was overseeing her subordinate's work, walking back and forth between areas in the courtyard. She had deep blue eyes that were shrouded by a head of jet black hair, broad feminine shoulders, a skinny waist with a perfect hourglass shape, and supple, but strong legs. Unlike most of the tengu, she was taller and more mature, exuding a sense of elite discipline. Her gestures were sharp and concise, indicative of years of experience in command.

Aya was being helped by Sanae, who was gently tipping a serving of tonic into her mouth. After a few moments, she sputtered and sat up slowly, gasping for air and groaning. "Wh… what… happened…?"

Not allowing her to speak further, a couple of tengu were commanded to fly her back home, and they quickly acknowledged.

Momiji took this moment to urge Marisa to move towards the chief. "Get up, and go. The chief will decide what to do with you." She leaned in close and hissed, "Go, before _I decide_."

The magician obeyed. Slowly, she trudged over, and met the chief's gaze. Deep blue eyes peered back with cold curiosity.

They stood face to face silently, neither moving nor speaking, battling in an invisible contest of will. Birds flew overhead as the late sun continued its fiery descent. A light breeze tugged at their clothes, the only other sounds coming from the tengu working around the yard.

Marisa tried her best, but it wasn't enough. The Tengu chief's gaze pierced her like a knife through butter, easily cutting through her defenses. She couldn't get a read on what the woman was thinking at all. It was like trying to understand a steel wall.

She broke first, looking away in awkward embarrassment.

The chief chuckled. "Hm hm, not so tough are you? Ms. Kirisame. But you're certainly tougher than most of the rabble I have to deal with. Uh, Momiji-"

Looking up, the guard nodded in acknowledgement.

"Please give us a little room and step back. I wish to… _understand_ this girl better."

Giving a sly grin, Inubashira backed away with a bow.

"Now then," she continued, "what exactly got into that head of yours, hm? Just… what was it that drove your… _itch_." She stepped uncomfortably close and brushed her soft, yet firm hand across Marisa's cheek. "You have a wonderfully… _delectable_ body, Kirisame. It's a shame you'd destroy it with alcohol." The woman's hands continued to play with teasing fervor, rubbing lower onto the magician's shoulders.

"Ah!" A small gasp came out of Marisa as she felt her touch, a heat beginning to rise from deep within her. _'What… what is this? What is this feeling?'_ She wanted to push away, to blast these annoying tengu right then and there. But… there was something wrong. She couldn't find the strength to resist anymore, as if it had been drained away by the chief's wandering hands.

The tengu enjoyed herself, a hot blush blooming over her cheeks. "OH, you're perfect!" She continued to grope, hands cupping and massaging Marisa's breasts.

"Mmmnnng!" The girl squirmed as her body grew hot, and her mind emptied. The motions were feeling better and better as each second passed. Her sense of reality was a blur, the only thing that mattered being the chief and her love.

"You like this? Don't you, you perverted magician."

A lewd moan escaped her. Any resistance she may have had in her mind was gone. The chief had broken Marisa in mind and spirit, driving her into the dark pits of pleasure.

"Ohhhhh yessssss, you. Are. Perfect," she purred, her hands reaching the cleft between Marisa's legs. "Do you feel good… _here_?" Squeezing, she planted a kiss on her lips.

The horny magician fell to the ground in a lewd mess.

Grinning, the tengu stepped back and admired her work, licking the glistening juice off her fingers. "Mmmm, yesss…. I know exactly what you're gonna do to pay us back."

"H….Haugh…?" Marisa could barely register the words that reached her ears. All she knew, was that she wanted more of the touch that brought her such great pleasure.

"Momiji!"

Without delay, the guard dog hopped forward with rope and a sack in hand.

"Pack up Ms. Kirisame here for me. I'll be taking her back under my personal supervision for… _education purposes_."

"As you wish," she responded with a smile, quickly setting to work.

Marisa couldn't move. _'Wh… what's going on? I… I don't know what's happening anymore… I just… feel… good.'_ She barely noticed as her hands and feet were tied and a sack was pulled over her.

A couple of tengu were called over and proceeded to unceremoniously hoist her up and away, back to the tengu village.

The magician was to become their leader's personal slave from now on.

She could only think of the smell of her prison, and the touch of her master as they flew over Youkai Mountain.

 **TENGU SLAVE BAD END?**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Hey everybody, thanks for keeping up with this story, and for those of you who are hopping in at the middle or something, thank you as well. I know the quality of my writing has degenerated from when this first started half a year ago. The frequency at which I update is pretty long and unpredictable, and I apologize for that. But… to tell the truth, I've been running out of steam a bit. The way I wrote in the early chapters was much more poetic and vivid than it is now, and I've been trying to get back to that. But I just can't. The motivation just isn't quite the same. However, I'm looking to shift gears a bit (as it may be evident already) and refuel the fire to this story._

 _Um, if this chapter was too perverse (or went over the line in graphicness) let me know. I think I may have overdone it. I mean, the "lewdness," is kinda out of place a bit, yeah?_

 _But IN ANY CASE, I rediscovered an old account of mine with some stories that had been lost in time (2012 to be specific). Perhaps you heard or read of them. "Broken Illusion," and a couple of ending offshoots. I think I'm going to write those again._

 _It's been a bit rough for me these past months, but I won't walk away from this story. I'll be sure to give it a proper go, and ending. You'll be satisfied, I promise. Even if the focus has derailed, I will make this good._

 _Promise!_


	13. Everyone's Got Dues

Ch. 13

"Everyone's Got Dues"

Shikieiki watched with bored amusement as Marisa was abducted, the orange glow of the setting sun casting a tragically beautiful backdrop to the whole scene. Her eyes turned to the chief who had been staring at her intently for the past few minutes.

"Yama! It's a curiosity to find you out here like this," the woman yelled over.

"Is it now? I don't believe you Tengu are entitled to all my business."

"Hmph. Are you sure about that? With you around, something must be going on, am I right?" A smirk appeared on the tengu's face.

Silently, Shikieiki stepped in front of her, cold gaze meeting hers.

Momiji shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. She didn't dare make a move on the Yama, and the chief wasn't backing off either.

Seconds went by in silence, fading into minutes. The only sounds that filled the air were the workings of the busy subordinates as they continued cleaning the shrine.

Suddenly, the chief began to laugh, her voice powerful and jovial. "Well, well! Just like you've always been, hm? Shiki-san?""

A smile cracked the Yama's face, an unprecedented event that had never before been seen in Gensokyo. "Yes, well. Things are quite fine I suppose. I came here today due to this fiasco, amongst other reasons. If I recall correctly, the last time we met, you were the previous chief's second."

"I was. But sadly, he passed away and left me in charge. I've been following his legacy ever since!"

Shikieiki smiled warmly ( _what?!)_. "So it seems. The Kozue I see now is much more mature than the Kozue I knew back then." Her eyes drifted down to the tengu woman's impressive bust. "You are very… _adult_ , in certain places now."

Kozue giggled girlishly, noticing the judge's wandering gaze. She leaned forward just a little bit, to really push the fact. "I always had an itch for playthings, but now… I can really _scratch it_. After a bit of growing, I was able to really put my… _adult_ features to good use. As you called them. But since you're interested, are you worried for that girlie? The magician."

"Somewhat." She straightened up to a proper posture, eyes focusing on Kozue's face. "I had planned to lecture her more, but… It seems you've taken care of that for me. Though, I can't say I condone such _perverse_ practices."

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. It's not _thaaaat_ bad. Her and I, we're gonna have lots of fun. But she'll keep her sanity. I'll let her go in a week or so, unless she escapes on her own. In that case, she's free."

"Hm. I see." Shikieiki nodded, somewhat satisfied that she would have another chance at the magician later. She turned to the courtyard, taking in the scene before her, and watching the tengu work. "Why did you bother to help?"

"I don't like leaving people in distress," replied the chief, gesturing towards her people. "Even if I don't know them, in cases like this, it's important to lend a helping hand. Besides, it might lead to an opportunity to get some good interviews." She grinned and imitated the action of taking pictures with a camera.

Sighing, the Yama shrugged. "It's good that you're so kind in your business practice. Though, I can't say the same for certain other tengu I know."

"Well, I let them do as they please, as long as it's not causing big trouble. They're free to pursue stories as they wish."

"So you say. If that's the case, then perhaps _I should_ give you a lecture about properly watching your underlings."

Laughing nervously, Kozue raised her hands in a passive gesture. "Aha, you don't have to go that far now."

One of the working tengu came over and bowed respectfully. "We are finished, chief."

"Excellent work. Well, then, looks like it's time to go. Until next time, Shiki-san." Kozue yelled a command, signaling her subordinates in the shrine to leave.

With a slight smile, Shikieiki waved goodbye. "Indeed. Until next time, Kozue."

The tengu took off, whatever tasks they had been working on finished. Once the feathery masses cleared, the shrine was spotless. No sign of the previous night's raucous partying was visible.

People were beginning to stumble outside, disoriented and confused. Most had been given simple robes to wear, though that was the least of their concerns. Some began to head home, walking wobbly out of the entrance, and down the stairs. Others began to try to recount the previous night, looking to each other for clues.

Alice came out, eyes widening in surprise. "What happened to the tengu?"

"They finished, and left," answered Shikieiki.

"Huh. Um, where's Marisa?" The puppeteer looked around quizzically.

"She… had business to take care of."

"Really? Okay then…" Alice looked disappointed, her eyes betraying a sense of knowing.

There was a rustle towards the house. Sanae stepped out, tripping over a towel laying on the ground. "Um, Shikieiki-san? Can you come inside for a second?"

"What is it?"

"Well," drawled the shrine maiden, "I found your assistant laying inside. She's… drunk."

A look of anger came over the judge and she began to stomp towards the building. "What?! What is she doing?!"

Alice shook her head, puzzled. "Wait, wasn't Komachi with you when you came?"

"I know what happened," growled the vengeful Yama. "I know EXACTLY what happened."

Once inside, they found the ferry woman sleeping peacefully on a soft mat, an empty sake bottle in her arms. Drool dribbled out of the dumb grin on her face.

The big-breasted assistant began to mumble. "Nyo…. Sh… shtop it… my buuuttt…. Shpank…. Me…"

Sanae and Alice looked at each other.

"Sh… Shiki shamaaa… I… I... wuv youuu…. Even…. Even if… youre… tiny."

There was a moment of silence.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" With an inarticulate scream of rage, Shikieiki began to rain punches down on Komachi's boobs.

The drunken girl's eyes flew open and she began to cry for mercy, half aware of what was happening. "Nyoooo! Ah! Owww! Sh-shtop it! Shiki Shamaaaa!"

"These stupidly oversized cow tits!" Shikieiki laid into her two victims, intending to beat them down from mountains into pancakes.

"Ugyaaaaa!"

Alice almost couldn't bear to watch. "I've never seen Shikieiki-san so… _vulgar_ before."

"Ah yes," agreed the shrine maiden. "I… suppose."

They watched in horrified fascination as the beat down continued.

Komachi was still drunk, barely aware of herself. "Aaaannnn~ Shiki shamaaaaa, i-if you're that rough, I'll… I'll- unyaaaa~"

"Shut up!" The judge had moved on from punching to violently groping her breasts, ripping open the girl's tunic.

"Nyoooo, you'll sheeee everything ."

"These… these…." Shikieiki eyed the twin peaks with a ferocious appetite. "I SHALL PUNISH THESE SINFUL TITS!"

"Nyooo~ ^_^"

The other two girls left without another word, silently walking back outside. They turned to each other with dark expressions.

"Truly," began Sanae, "everyone-"

"-Has their dues to pay," finished Alice.

"…should… should we do something?" The shrine maiden scratched her face.

"No. I-I don't think so."

"Do you… do you think they're lovers?"

"M-maybe."

"Sou ka… uh, would you like some tea, Alice-san?"

The puppeteer nodded awkwardly, trying not to listen to the strange sounds coming from inside. "But, won't you have to go back in there?"

"I'll go around back."

"Oh, uh sure then. I'll gladly have some, please."

Sanae quickly disappeared behind the house, yelling, "I'll be right back," over her shoulder.

Alice sat down on the porch and summoned one of her dolls. She tasked it to float about the yard and search for any random garbage that the tengu may have missed. With this at least, she could try to ignore some of the ruckus from inside.

She leaned back and let her hair fall over her face. It was starting to get dark, night's cool breath beginning to whisper across the grass. A few scattered clouds drifted overhead, turning a mix of dirty grey and orange as the sun set. Sighing, the puppeteer willed herself to relax, breathing slowly.

"What to do…" she mused aloud.

The puppet was darting around, a few scraps and bottles in her small arms.

Soft footsteps next to her indicated that Sanae had returned. She handed a steaming cup to her, and then plopped down with a sigh.

Sipping the tea, the puppeteer sighed in satisfaction. "Ah yes, this is good. Thank you."

"No problem."

The two girls sat in peaceful silence, save for the borderline moaning emanating from the house. As light faded, the moon began to poke up from over the horizon, its soft white pallor rising slowly. Sanae turned with a strange look. "Alice-san?"

"Yes?"

With slight hesitation, the shrine maiden slowly asked, "Do you still think of Reimu?"

The question was unexpected. Alice coughed, spilling a little tea on herself.

"Ah! I-I'm so sorry! You don't have to answer that, sorry!"

"No, it's alright," she assured, dabbing at the small stain on her dress with a white handkerchief. "To answer you honestly… I do. Every now and then, I'm reminded of her, especially when Marisa is around. Sometimes, it really feels off… even if we didn't hang out as much."

"I see… sorry for bringing it up. It's just… seeing Shikieiki today reminded me of what happened three months ago."

"Don't worry about it. It's better for us to not forget anyways."

Turning back, Sanae returned to sipping her drink, looking up to the sky, thoughts floating through her mind. She brushed a verdant lock of hair out of her eyes, sighing in relaxation.

The sounds of punishment had stopped, and an eerie silence settled over the yard.

' _What… happened?_ ' Alice wondered to herself.

A moment later, Shikieiki emerged, straightening her clothes and hair. There was no indication on her face of what had just transpired. She stood next to them and looked out towards the edge of the trees surrounding the shrine, eyebrows quirking up.

"One of the tengu are returning," she said in an amused tone.

"Really?" Alice squinted and looked where she was looking. But there wasn't any sign of the feathery crow people in the sky. "I don't really see anything, how can you tell?"

"Not a tengu, but their watchdog."

Seconds later, Momiji landed in the middle of the courtyard, leaping from somewhere beyond the trees. Her ability to travel so quickly in this manner was incredible, but expected of someone who needed to keep up with her speedy partners. "Hello!" She called out in greeting, dusting herself off and walking over.

The two girls returned the greeting with smiles as Shikieiki eyed her curiously. "Why did you come back?"

Momiji shrugged. "The chief told me to assist you in any way I can. I'm not sure why. Aya also asked me to come, saying something about filling in for a missing party member."

"Party member?" Alice scrunched her nose incredulously. "What does that reporter think this is? An RPG game?"

"Kourin has some of those right?" Sanae looked up thoughtfully. "Marisa would probably know a lot about them. But… is it supposed to be a joke?"

Momiji cleared her throat. "Ahem, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get started on some business. I get antsy sitting around for too long. You know, since I'm part dog (or wolf)."

Nodding, Shikieiki crossed her arms and looked at everyone seriously. "There's another reason I came to visit today, aside from the drunken trouble that occurred here. Alice, I believe Marisa was about to ask me about Reimu, was she not?"

She nodded, hesitant at first.

"The magician was going to ask me if I'd judged the miko yet. Truth be told, I have not. Reimu's soul has not reached the Sanzu, let alone Higan. Recently, I've been investigating the matter of her missing person. From since the funeral, I sensed something was off. Just today, I felt her presence coming from somewhere here in Gensokyo, but I can't pinpoint it exactly. To explain what I mean, imagine that what I feel is a smell, and the smell is faintly wafting around. She's somewhere here, likely in a living body."

Sanae's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you mean… she's alive?!" The girl looked as if she was about to cry.

"Perhaps. If Reimu is among the living once again, she is not in the same form as before. Her soul may have changed as well."

"It… it's unbelievable…"

A feeling of hope blossomed in Alice. What Eirin had said then was true. However, she needed to keep her knowledge a secret, at least until they were certain that they had found Reimu. "We can't let Marisa know. If she found out about this, much worse than last night would occur at her hands."

The judge thought to herself for a few seconds, contemplating what to do. "I can't tell exactly where she is, but the best approach may be to revisit the steps we took before."

Sanae pointed towards the summit. "Why don't we check there? Isn't that where… where she died?"

Shiki shook her head. "I already checked, there's nothing up there that would help us. The matter of the celestial who took her life is still on the table, but I do not know what happened to her. I cannot sense her presence anywhere."

Momiji crossed her arms. "So, what do we do? I go where you go."

"The first place I went with them was the vampire mansion. I believe we should revisit there, and see if there are any clues that connect to Reimu. Perhaps the magician there can help us as well."

Everyone nodded.

Alice had a thought, and turned to Momiji. "Excuse me, but what happened to Marisa?"

"Her?" A wicked smile spread across her face. "She's being _taken care of_ by our chief."

"What do you mean by that?"

She leaned in close. "I mean, that my chief is getting to know _everything_ about Marisa."

Alarm raced through the puppeteer.

"Don't worry, it's nothing life threatening. Just a lesson, for causing us so much trouble."

Suspicious, but whatever it was, Alice felt that it couldn't be helped. Marisa _did_ cause a lot of trouble, and if the tengu chief was keeping her, then it was probably alright. "Well… okay then. I suppose it's fine, not to mention it'll keep her from following us."

"Yeah, see? No worries."

Turning to the judge, Alice asked, "Shikieiki-san, since you were with Reimu in the incident, will you lead us?"

She nodded. "I will, but not for personal reasons. This is in the interest of my duty, and keeping the balance of souls in Gensokyo."

There were footsteps coming from the shrine entrance. Kanako and Suwako appeared, smiling when they saw everyone gathered with Sanae.

The shrine maiden waved to them, happily calling out in greeting. She looked at the others, realizing something. "I… I'm not sure I can leave, actually. There isn't anyone else to take care of the Shrine…"

Kanako walked over and spoke. "We understand that something is going on now. It is important that you get to the bottom of it, especially since we were involved. Sanae," she began, looking at the girl. "We give you permission to leave and resolve this incident. But be sure to come back home, okay?"

Sanae looked surprised, but smiled quickly. "I understand. Thank you, Kanako-sama. Thank you as well, Suwako-sama."

The frog goddess hopped over and patted her on the head. "It's okay. This isn't the first time you went out on your own. We're sure you'll be able to take care of yourself."

The tengu watchdog coughed. "So, if that's settled, should we get going? Ah, actually, what about your assistant inside, Yama-san?"

Shikieiki frowned and sighed. "Just leave her be. It's not like she makes much of a difference usually. When she wakes up, she'll return to her post, I'm sure."

"Are you really sure about that?"

"I said, _I'm sure._ "

Alice rallied everyone together, their faces lit by the moon's soft light. "I think we're ready. We should head over now, since Remilia will be awake."

"Excellent," acknowledged the judge. "If you are all in agreement, let us proceed. Can you keep up Inubashira?"

"Uh huh," she replied. "If I can match Aya, I can match you."

"Very well, let us go." Shikieiki began to levitate, floating in the air. Everyone followed suit. "Farewell, Kanako and Suwako."

They waved politely, sitting down on the porch and looking up at them as they began their journey.

Momiji leapt across the land below them, easily matching their pace in the sky, as they head towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion. For Shikieiki, this would be the second time she would see this place.

A shadow watched them go from the summit of the mountain, sitting on the Cliffside. It held what looked like a peach in one hand, taking a bite and dropping the fruit down to the earth below. Within a split second, it disappeared into the night.


	14. Alone, In this Solitude I Wait

Ch. 14

"Alone, In this Solitude I Wait"

Empty hallways within an eternal tomb did this fallen angel roam, her spirit shackled to the Earth that she called home. Wings of white, turned black and deformed over lifetimes passed by again and again, were the only reminder she had of a life long forgotten. Her eyes of crimson, deep as the endless night, gazed upon Gensokyo through clear windows as a sigh escaped her, one small delicate hand coming to rest on its cold glass. This princess of the night, Remilia Scarlet, could only look forward to the day when perhaps she might finally rest, and her eyes would close in final slumber. A song whispered from her cold lips, the pale presence dancing upon her face.

" _In the light of the moon… shining through this lonely room…_

 _Stands a princess of the dark, looking out from within…_

 _Gazing up at the midnight moon, a lonely hand upon the glass…_

 _Hopeful eyes of red, wishful words, she whispered…"_

" _Here I am, the Master of Night, so alone I'm wrought with fright…_

 _In this kingdom of moonlight bliss, upon my empty throne… I sit…"_

Silence followed as the eternal princess let her hand slip and fall away. _"Yet another dream to live through, this night,"_ she thought to herself, turning and walking down the dark hallway. Just how much longer would this nightmare last?

A slight smile began to cross her face as she began to reminisce. Ever since coming to Gensokyo, the days and nights have been much better than before. Thanks to Reimu, her perspective changed after she was defeated during the mist incident. Life wasn't so bad after all, and she didn't mind spending it with these people here in this land. But still, it couldn't last forever, and one day she would have to say goodbye, until only Flandre and herself were left. Yet, perhaps a day would come when the ones saying goodbye, would be those she'd leave behind first.

Remilia stopped in her tracks. "Sakuya," she called out.

"Yes, milady?" The maid appeared out of nowhere, respectfully awaiting an order.

"We have guests, please prepare some tea, and arrange for them to stay the night."

"At once, milady." Without a second's delay, she disappeared into thin air.

The vampire continued on her way, strolling towards the balcony.

Outside, nocturnal creatures and insects were scurrying about, living their own lives in their own worlds. Coolness permeated the air, its soothing touch a rejuvenating succor to those who feared the sun.

In the distance, a small party was quickly approaching, a familiar sight to Remilia. She sat down at a table overlooking the front of the mansion, spotting Meiling wandering around the garden. In a split second, the gatekeeper was on the ground, bottom up with a knife sticking out of her derriere.

Sakuya appeared by her side with a tray of tea and cake, setting them down and pouring a cup. "Everything is ready, milady."

Remilia smiled. "Very good Sakuya. You can rest now, or do what you please. I will take care of them."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it. There isn't much to do this night anyways. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, milady." Again, with the blink of an eye, the maid melded into the dark night, disappearing to somewhere else.

The approaching party set down in the courtyard, one of them hopping well over the gate wall and landing deftly by the fountain. Their faces were all new, except for Shikieiki and Alice, who began towards the entrance. They let themselves in without a word, not noticing the crimson eyes that were watching.

Remilia sipped her drink in satisfaction. _"Another perfect cup of tea. As expected of my servant,"_ she mused with a delighted sigh. The cake was also delicious, though not necessary for her to sustain herself (thanks to immortality), but was a wonderful distraction. For now, she refrained from meeting her visitors. In all likelihood, they were headed for the library, to see Patchouli. Since Alice was with them, it should be alright.

Or so she thought.

Not long after, a rumble shook the table, rattling the dishes and plates. _"What was that?"_ She wondered to herself, trying to sense a disturbance within the mansion. It had come from inside the library, and she felt the four who had entered earlier along with two forms that were buried under a pile of books and rubble. They must've been Patchouli and her assistant, Koakuma.

Sensing nothing else, Remilia shrugged and returned to her leisurely activity.

Alice scurried over to the pile of books, attempting to fan away the explosion of dust. Coughing, she began digging until a familiar purple lock of hair popped out. "Are you alright, Patchouli-san?"

No response.

She pulled off a few more books until the magician's face appeared. There was no indication that Patchy was conscious anymore. "Look what you did, Momiji," complained Alice, glaring at her.

"What? I get really claustrophobic…"

"You pulled down the whole shelf!"

"I'm _sorry_ I can't help my wolfishness."

Shikieiki was busy collecting Sanae off the floor, a large lump on the shrine maiden's head. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, muttering something about judging souls.

A small pile not far away began to shift, Koakuma's easily recognizable whiny voice audible beneath the books. A pale hand thrust through the surface, grasping for some kind of invisible leverage like a zombie. "Waaaaahhhh, heeeelp meeeeeee," cried the devil-assistant.

Alice ignored her, proceeding to drag Patchouli out by the shoulders. "Hup! Here we go. Grrr, augh! _God,_ you're heavy."

"No I'm not."

"Huh?" Two pale purple eyes stared at her flatly. "AHH!" The puppeteer leapt back in surprise as the librarian sat up and began to dust herself off.

"Fat? You're just weak," she grumbled in annoyance, and began to recite a spell. "I was only resting."

With a stylish flourish, the piles of books began to float into the air, reorganizing themselves and flying back into their spots on the shelf. Koakuma was freed, though she had also been picked up by the magic and was being deposited somewhere beyond the dark shadows of the library.

"Patchouli-samaaaaaa…" Her voice faded away as she disappeared slowly through the air, clutching desperately at nothing.

No one seemed to notice.

Momiji looked dazzled by the display, quickly snapping back into her usual uptight self when she noticed everyone staring. "W-what?"

Amused, Shikieiki began to rub the guard dog's head, eliciting a moan of pleasure. "You're a very good pet."

"Howahhhhh…. Huh?! A-ah, no! I'm not into that at all! Noooope. Not… at all." Momiji pulled away, cheeks red with embarrassment.

"So you say…" Gears began to turn inside the Judge's head, a plan forming that she decided she'd put to use later, once this was all over.

Patchouli rolled her shoulder and sat back down at her desk, reopening the tome she had been reading before everyone rudely burst in. Without looking up, she cleared her throat in expectation and asked, "What did you come here for?"

Unease came over the party, the only one stepping forward was Shikieiki as she spoke in a serious tone. "Remember that night three months ago? I imagine you wouldn't forget such a _traumatic_ experience so quickly."

"Tch." Patchy looked up, a visible scowl on her face. "What of it? There has been no incident here since last you visited. Besides, Reimu's already dead. And she's _not coming back_."

"I thought you'd say that. But you're hiding something. _I can tell_."

"Can you? Then you'd know that I have not welcomed visitors since then. Not even that meddlesome black and white thief. Just what is it that you're after, hm?"

A frown creased the judge's lips. "Reimu… it is highly likely she is not dead."

"What?" Incredulously, Patchouli ceased reading and stared at her. "What do you mean, she's not dead?"

"I mean precisely that. It is possible that Reimu has returned from the dead, and now I am here to rectify that. If you intend to impede my investigation, then I will make this an inquisition, and you _will tell me_ anything you know."

The librarian sat motionless, staring back angrily. "Agh! Such troublesome people. Fine! I'll tell you more about what happened. Just so you know, after what happened that night, I had done some investigating of my own."

"Go on."

She began to tell her story, resigning to the truth. "I thought it was strange that anyone was able to get through my charms and barriers so easily. It was quite a feat to have done so, and slip into my library undetected. Upon examining my defenses, I found that they were completely rewritten, so to speak. My spells had been turned against me, without me knowing. Theoretically, a feat like that should be impossible, at least for anyone that I know of here in Gensokyo.

So I thought, what if that someone, the same someone who had copied a perfect image of myself, wasn't from Gensokyo? Maybe they were from the outside world, or another reality entirely. I decided to examine one of my reworked spells. There were… patterns and… and theorems that I have never seen before… Intricate weaves and magicks that went beyond anything I could create. It was genius, and yet… I was able to decode it.

My conclusion is this: the one that attacked us that day must not be from Gensokyo, or at least, not originally. It is quite possible that they possess powers that we do not know of. Moreover, I also do not believe their goal was to kill us, or Reimu for that matter. They could have done so quite easily… But whatever the aim was, is beyond me."

Silence.

Shikieiki was the first to speak. "You believe our perpetrator may have come from a realm other than this one? Interesting. Still, that is not what I came here for today. I want to know if you have possible clues about Reimu's… _return_."

"Yes… well. There have been strange fluctuations and… occurrences around here as of late. Those spells I told you about? I kept one around to study… and well…" Patchouli sunk back against her chair, breath escaping in a tired sigh. "Well… I noticed something about it change right around the disruptions that started about three weeks ago. I could sense Reimu's presence within it… like a window, or mirror. Her energy wasn't innately there… but I could _see_ it, in a way."

Alice looked down at the ground. _"How could this be happening?"_ she thought to herself, trying to understand what was going on. _"Just… who was it that could've done that to her…"_

There was a rustle by one of the bookshelves. Sanae was stirring, rubbing the lump on her head as she groaned and stood up shakily. "Ugggghhh, my heeaaaaad. H-hey, what's going on, everyone? O-oh, hello Ms. Patchouli. I-I'm… Sanae… Kochi…" Before she could finish, the girl swayed and fell over.

Momiji caught her in an instant, supporting her as she regained her strength. "Are you alright, Sanae?"

"I… I don't know… Something hit me… and then…"

"It was… a book. An accident." Momiji looked away, hiding her embarrassment.

"Oh, is that so…" Her eyes began to slowly close, and her breathing became shorter, and shallower.

Alarmed, the guard dog touched the girl's forehead, looking for signs of a fever. "S-she's burning up! What's wrong with her?!"

Shikieiki and Patchouli hurried over.

"I thought she was just lightheaded from the hit earlier… but this isn't right!"

The judge shook her head. "You're correct. This _isn't_ because of a concussion. Patchouli-san, you understand?"

She nodded solemnly. "The magic here is fluctuating again. I fear that Sanae has some kind of connection to the spells that were left. It is possible… the magic is adversely affecting her life force. This is something that happens to humans who are exposed to high levels."

"Then… perhaps what I felt earlier…"

Alice took Shikieiki's hand, looking her dead in the eye. "Yama-san! Forgive my rudeness, but please! Tell us what is happening. I can't stand this anymore!"

She remained silent, considering behind her steely eyes whether or not to reveal the truth.

Seconds went by. Sanae still breathed slowly, limp and weak in Momiji's arms.

With a tight frown, betraying no falseness or misgiving, the judge began. "Ms. Margatroid, when I said before that I sensed Reimu's presence here in Gensokyo, I was not lying. But I did not tell you the whole truth. It was more than just the miko that I felt. The very magic… no, the very essence of Gensokyo is changing. Perhaps you may have sensed it, or not. There is a dark… corruptive force seeping through this land, and with it… the barriers that once protected us have begun to deteriorate."

"Deteriorate? Please… what do you mean? And what about Reimu? O-or Sanae?!"

"I am afraid… your friend Reimu... the truth is… she is the cause."

Shocked, Alice's hands fell to her sides. She sunk down to her knees, disbelief flooding over her, drowning her senses. "Impossible… it's…"

"When I felt her presence return, with it came the dark force. She is the same as the one we fought before… the same one that possessed Sanae. It is most likely that because of that time… this magic is slowly killing the girl."

Everything seemed to fall apart for Alice. She couldn't hear the words… the truth that Shikieiki spoke to her. What she thought she knew about this world…about her friends… To find out now that it was Reimu herself that was causing this was too much. She had fallen to something dark… and now… now they needed to stop her.

"I understand this must be extremely difficult. But for the sake of the future, I cannot give preferential treatment to Reimu. She must be… _erased_."

Alice didn't respond. She stared blankly at the ground, her mind torn apart.

Patchouli had gone back to her desk and pulled out a thick square of parchment paper. It was glowing intensely, resonating with the magic in the air. "This is the spell I referred to. If I'm correct… perhaps destroying it may save Sanae." She let go of it, the paper floating in the air, pulsating like a beating heart. The librarian began to chant, reciting a spell that echoed of eldritch secrets, of wisdom beyond the cosmos, reaching farther beyond even infinity. At the last word, the paper exploded, burning to crisps. Sanae shook, her breathing returning in gasping breaths.

Touching the girl's forehead, Momiji sighed in relief. "She's better."

Sanae began to stir, opening her eyes to the sight of the white haired doggy, feeling her warmth as she held her up. "Oh… Momiji-san… you're so… _warm_."

"Ah, ehehe."

Shikieiki walked over to Patchouli, leaving the puppeteer to herself. "Magician, you were able to pull it off I see. That proves it then. The one that began all this, her goal was not to stop us. Rather… perhaps to point us in a certain direction. It may be that her purpose was to "turn" Reimu over to her side."

"You think so?" Patchouli fell back into her chair again, breathing heavily. At a snap of her fingers, Koakuma poofed out of the air and fell to the ground, butt first.

"Hya! Owwww, h-huh? O-Oh! Patchouli-sama! Can I help you?" She hopped up, devil tail swishing back and forth excitedly.

"Get me something to drink, and a pack of ice. I'm burnt out."

"Yessir!" The assistant flew off towards some corner of the library, mission in mind.

Patchouli wiped sweat off her brow, gazing upon Shikieiki with one open eye. "There is much to do, obviously. Just how do you plan on going about finding Reimu?"

"Well," she began, "You have already helped a great deal, thank you. For now, we will continue to pursue new leads, and retrace old steps. But… time is certainly not on our side. Even if the corruption does not show now… given a few more months, this land may start to visibly deteriorate. It will be no secret then."

"Of course. I wish I could aid your quest more at this moment… but as you can see…"

"Please, do not worry. I am more than confident in our ability to resolve this incident. If it means anything, we would appreciate help in the future, whatever it may be."

"You have my word then, Yama."

A chuckle came from above them, like the voice of a child, but mature with eternities of wisdom. "I see you've finally figured it out. But then again, it's you, Yamaxanadu."

Remilia sat above on one of the shelves, hopping off and floating down on jet black velvet wings.

"Vampire, you've shown yourself. So, I assume you also know of this corruption?" Shikieiki eyed her with curiosity.

She nodded. "I wasn't sure what to call it before you said that, but yes. That's about what it seems. Apparently, weaker beings aren't able to sense the changes in the energy, but those like us can. No doubt, strong Youkai like Yakumo or Saigyouji already noticed."

"Yakumo, hmm…"

"Have you not seen her yet?"

Shikieiki shook her head. "It… it actually hadn't struck me."

Remilia sighed. "Haah, with all of Patchy's talk about the perpetrator being from outside Gensokyo, I thought your first clue would've been to talk to that border Youkai. Huh, I expected more from you, honestly."

"You are… correct. I suppose I was too narrow minded about this after all. How shameful. Then our next destination may be clear already."

"Certainly. But before you go, there is something I'd like your help with."

Surprised, Shiki looked down at the girl. "Hm? You need our help?"

She nodded. "Since Reimu's apparent return, and the spreading corruption, something has been growing underneath this mansion. Many ages ago, I sealed away a fearsome monster within the labyrinth of my dungeons… but now… I sense that it has started to reawaken. Should the monster escape its prison… Not much worse could befall Gensokyo. Rather, there wouldn't be much point in saving Gensokyo from the corruption and Reimu, if we can't save it from the beast."

"You think we can handle it?"

She smiled knowingly. "I've not lived for eons to doubt so naively. I know about the strength you hide, Yama. Besides, perhaps you may discover something that can help you in your search for Reimu down there."

Shikieiki slowly nodded. "I… suppose we should then. However, I do not believe Ms. Margatroid is in any condition to be fighting." She pointed at the puppeteer who was being consoled by Sanae. Momiji stood close by, waving as she noticed her gaze.

"But of course. _I_ will join you then." Remilia grinned and made a "cute" pose. "As head of this mansion, it is my duty of course."

"Very well then. When do you wish to go?"

Looking disappointed that her posing went unpraised, Remilia shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Sakuya's around, and Flandre I keep with me in my room now. The monster is a high priority, but it's not threatening to break out any moment. It'll take a couple months at least for it to gather the power to do so."

"Why not go now?"

"We can. Are you sure you want to?"

"Time is not on our side. Making decisions efficiently and effectively is the best way to handle this incident."

"You got it. Right then. Gather your party and follow me. I shall lead you through the _true night_ , the abyss that no mortal has tasted. But just, do one thing for me?"

"What is it?"

The vampire smiled. "Don't die before I do."


	15. Chains of the Past

Border of Good and Evil

Ch 15

"Chains of the Past"

Her voice was like flowing honey, its sweet song a lullaby of love, loss, and days long gone by. She stood alone, bound in the center of a grand room within a magic circle. The room was bare, save for the cold stone and empty chair beside her.

Long, golden hair fell like sunlight to her soft shoulders, pale and vulnerable. Eyes of azure gazed sadly about, taking in the same scene she had become prisoner to for eons, visions of a captivated audience within her mind.

The beautiful woman was tall, and wore a simple robe, flowing and white.

She let her voice rise, reaching a high note that trembled ever so slightly like a leaf on a spring day. Melancholy tones spoke of a time she was loved, and could love. Yet, never, could she feel that way again.

Hearing the sound of footsteps brought her attention towards the old wooden door that stood as a reminder to her imprisonment. She stopped singing and gathered herself, sitting down on the chair.

After an echoing click, the door swung open, and Remilia walked in, followed by Shikieiki and Sanae.

"Mistress, you grace me with your presence," began the woman with a smile. "How long has it been now? Perhaps a _few hundred years_?" She spoke with a lilting accent, Scottish in nature.

"Don't kid yourself, you are no familiar of mine."

She looked hurt, taken aback. "But my lady, I have served you for so long, have I not? And what punishment is this, that I have been given for my undying loyalty?"

Shikieiki looked over at Remilia who crossed her arms. "This woman is no ordinary person. The singing you heard? She is what you'd call a "siren," and her song will make you go insane. That barrier she is in negates her magic, and keeps her contained."

Sanae looked at the woman in curiosity. Her beauty was deep, and riveting. Something about her made the girl want to step closer, just enough perhaps to touch her golden hair.

The woman's blue eyes suddenly shifted to lock onto the shrine maiden, causing her to jump a little in surprise. Her heavenly voice flowed from a soft smile, friendly and bewitching. "Now, what do we have here? You're quite a pretty young lass, my dear. Don't believe what they're saying about me, all that insanity stuff. I'm a siren, yes. But I won't hurt you."

"Sanae. Don't." Remilia's stern voice snapped the girl back to attention.

"A-ah, w-what was I thinking? I-I'm sorry miss Remilia, I don't know what came over me…"

"Now, this is what I was talking about before. Yama-san, her power has been growing, and I imagine it's because of that corruption that's been feeding into Gensokyo. The barrier is _supposed_ to negate her power, but it seems she is able to exert some small influence over more vulnerable victims. Patchouli herself wrote that design, and as you know, whatever or whoever we're up against can get right through it."

Shikieiki thought to herself for a moment. "How do you want us to deal with her?"

"Deal with me!?" The woman stood with a terrified look on her face. "No, please! I just wanted to sing, you aren't serious about killing me, are you?" She turned to the judge, her eyes seeming to glow unnaturally. "Please, I beg of you, just let me be. _Let me go…_ "

Moments passed in silence, as the judge stood staring back at her blankly. She smiled, a conniving evil smile. "Yes, just let. Me. Go."

Shikieiki began to walk forward.

Remilia grabbed her hand. "Wait! What are you doing Yama!? Snap out of it! It's her control!"

But the judge wouldn't stop. She slowly stepped up to the very edge of the barrier.

Sanae looked on in horror, gripping her gohei anxiously. If it came down to it, she was ready to start shooting.

"Yes," cooed the siren, walking over to the boundary of the barrier and lifting a soft hand up to caress the Yama's cheek. But she couldn't reach all the way, stopping suddenly mere inches away. "Just one more step, lass, and you can be with me. I can sing for you for eternity if you want. But it'll have to be from outside this prison, you see."

The judge's mouth began to open, as she stared straight back into the siren's eyes.

"Mmm, that's it. Say, _you want to be with me_."

"I…" She began, eyebrow twitching.

The woman grinned wickedly, a deadly glare in her eyes. She seemed different now, still as beautiful as before, but now there was a dark presence to her.

Shikieiki continued, "I… I…"

"Yessss?"

The judge's eyes snapped to focus, a righteous fury burning behind them. Faster than the eye could see, her hand gripped the siren's neck, easily lifting her off the ground. "I sentence you to an eternity in hell, to suffer for all the pain you have caused. Suffer to atone for your sins, I sentence you, _Azelia_!"

"No!" Gasped the siren as she desperately grabbed at the yama's arms, attempting to break free. "But, I'm touching you! Why, guh, aren't you under my spell?!"

"You cannot control me, with your pitiful magic. I saw the fall of your kind centuries ago. Your power is nothing to me."

Azelia's eyes focused in sudden realization, and she stared back at Shikieiki with a mixture of fear and anger. "Y-you! I know you! You're the one who did this! How could you?! You'll pay! You'll pay for it all! You'll p-"

The echoing snap of her neck reverberated throughout the cold room, her cries ceasing as a strange silence settled in. Her body crumpled to the floor, lifeless, eyes staring blankly forward.

Sanae was speechless, a chill clutching her to the very bone. What she just witnessed… She'd never before seen someone _killed_ so ruthlessly… Exterminating youkai was one thing. But this? The girl turned away, suddenly sick to her stomach. She gagged silently, slowly walking to the door and leaning against the wall.

"Yama-san. You…" Remilia looked at Azelia's dead body, a strange mixture of feelings welling up inside her. "Are you sure… that was the right thing to do?"

Silence.

Remilia walked over to her, looking up at her face. "Yama…?"

Tears flowed down the woman's cheeks. Her eyes were shut tightly, a trembling frown upsetting her visage. She shook with every drop that flowed.

Shocked, the vampire didn't know what to say. It was expected, she supposed. As far as she knew, Azelia had known Shikieiki in some way, as every time she came down to see her, she would begin talking about her so fondly. Though, she didn't know her by name, but from her memories of a kind woman that helped her as a child in an unforgiving world. Figuring by the clues the siren gave, Remilia thought the Yama was the person she was talking about. But, what was she saying at the end there?

Shikieiki knelt down, and put her trembling hand to Azelia's cold cheek, brushing aside a ruffled lock of golden hair. "I-I'm… Sorry…" She whispered between breaths, tenderly stroking the siren's cheek. "I loved you… I still do. I won't forget about the past. But… sins must be paid for." Her tears dripped down onto the woman's lifeless face. "I'm sorry… it had to be you."

Memories flooded into the Yama as she was overwhelmed by grief, having taken the life of someone she cared for in another time long ago. She still remembered those days, when she was learning the ways of being an Enma, and traveling the land, helping those she came across. There was a village of Azelia's kind that lived in harmony with the humans nearby, but the girl was an odd one out. All of them could use their siren powers at her age, but she could not. She was ostracized, but, her family still took care of her.

Shikieiki recalled meeting the girl for the first time, kneeling down to wipe a tear from her face as she consoled her. Young Azelia was bullied often by the other girls, and left alone. She still remembered her scrunched up face, and the tears coming down her cheeks…

 _To be continued…_

 _ **PS. IM BACK FROM HIATUS BABY! I joined a band as Lead guitar, and am starting another project for anime/videogame cover songs. So that's what I've been doing.**_


	16. Bis Sis

Border of Good and Evil

Ch. 16

"Big Sis"

The young woman looked down at the girl crying before her, unsure of what to do. A group of giggling children disappeared around the corner, looking back over their shoulders as they disappeared. The girl was roughed up, looking like she had fallen down.

Shikieiki had begun on her journey to understand the way of being an Enma about a year ago. Since then, she travelled across Gensokyo, seeing how life was beyond the comfort of home. She saw good, and she saw evil. There was much more to life than one could simply judge as black and white. This journey was to help her understand the gravity of her duty as an Enma, and how to see the grey area.

"Waaaaah…. Sniff…." The girl stood there, face scrunched up as tears rolled down her cheeks.

The Judge in training knelt down, and cupped her cheek, rubbing away a smear of dirt. "Hey," she cooed, "don't cry."

"Waah… I… they hate me…"

"What? What do you mean? Why would anyone hate you?"

The girl looked up into Shikieiki's eyes, her innocent face streaked with wet dirt. "Well, momma says I'm not supposed to say… but…"

There was magic in this girl, Shiki could tell. She could sense some kind of supernatural power from her. Allowing her senses to reach out, she felt the aura of magical beings all around the town. "You can tell me. Don't worry, momma would understand."

"I dunno…."

"Don't worry. I've seen a lot. I know you're special."

She looked surprised. "Really? You can tell?"

"Uh huh." Shikieiki nodded. "I'm special too. I understand what it's like."

"Okay… um… momma says that we're _sirens_ , or something. But… um… I'm weird…"

That made sense. Looking around, Shikieiki noticed that there were more women than men here. They all watched her warily, but went about their own business. It was possible that this village was a siren nest. So… was it friendly with the human villages nearby? She looked back down at the girl. "Weird? Everybody's weird in a way, so don't worry."

She shook her head. "No, I mean… everyone says I'm weird because I don't have powers."

Curious, Shiki began to understand the girl's plight. "You can't use your siren powers?"

"Uh huh. Everybody else can, and they sing so good! But… I can't… Momma says I'm just a late bloomer… but…."

"Well," began the Yama, standing up with hands on her sides. "I think you just need a little push is all."

"Eh…." The girl looked a little unsure, the word "push" causing her to pull back.

"Ah, I don't mean like that, I'm sorry. Why don't you come hang out with me? I could use some help being shown around."

"Momma says not to play with strangers."

"Then, let's do this." Shiki knelt down again and pointed to herself. "I'm Shi…" Thinking about it for a split second, she decided that using her real name wouldn't be good, and chose an alias. "I'm Big Sis. What's your name?"

"Big Sis? That's a weird name, hehe." The girl chuckled a little, her smile lighting up her innocent face.

"Well, I'm weird too then."

She nodded. Her caution was beginning to melt away, warming up to Shiki. "I'm Azelia. Wanna go play?"

"Yeah, I think that would be good. What do you want to do?"

"There's this spot by the river I can show you. Later, we can meet everybody, and you can enjoy Momma's stories."

Shikieiki smiled, warmed by Azelia's peppy youth. "Alright, let's go then. I'll follow you."

"C'mon! This way!" The girl hopped down the street, with Shiki following close behind.

They spent the whole day together, laughing and playing games. At first, people from the village watched Shikieiki warily, cautious with a stranger in their midst. But as the day went on, they saw she meant no harm, and welcomed her as one of their own.

By the time the sun was beginning to fall, Shikieiki was exhausted, laying down on a hill of green grass right beside Azelia. They watched the sky turn darker shades of orange until the cold air made them shiver.

"Brrr, I think it's time to go home, Azelia."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

Shikieiki had pushed that thought away all day, but it was time to make a decision. She was tired, and traveling to another village at night would be rough, though not the first time she'd done so. Still, she felt like her duty as a friend to the young girl wasn't done yet. "I think… I'll have to go get a room at an inn," she responded with a smile.

Azelia rolled over onto her elbows and poked a finger at Shiki's verdant hair. "I wish every day could be like this… it's really fun with you around. You're the first person to ever treat me so nice…"

"Well, I don't think not having your powers makes you any less of who you are. I wouldn't judge you before meeting you like that."

She smiled warmly and stood up. "Will you play with me again tomorrow?"

Shikieiki thought about it for a moment. Just how long was she going to stay here? Well, until Azelia felt confident on her own, she decided she would have to. "I'll play with you, sure."

"Yay! Um, do you actually know where the inn is?"

"Ahh… I don't…"

Azelia began tugging on her arm, urging her to get up. "C'mon, I'll show you!"

"Alright, alright! Calm down now! You're gonna pull my arm off child!"

She laughed and led her back into town. The people watched them curiously, but not warily as before. They went down a few different turns and ended up at a nice welcoming building with the sign, "Starry Night," over its door.

"This is it!" She exclaimed excitedly. "The owner, Yasuo, is real nice. He treats me good too, but has to watch the inn, so I can't play with him. Tell him I showed you here, and I'm sure he'll help you."

"Thanks," replied Shiki with a smile. She noticed a shadow peeking out from an alley not far away. It ducked back out of sight as soon as she turned to look.

"I'll be going now!"

"Wait!" Worried, she called after the young girl. "Let me walk you home at least. It's getting dark."

"Okay!"

They walked back down the streets, the layout of the town slowly becoming familiar to Shikieiki. She noticed the shadow out of the corner of her eye following them from behind, but never approaching closer.

As they arrived at Azelia's home, an older woman walked out wearing a traditional Japanese yukata. She smiled and hugged the young girl as she ran up to her, and back inside.

"Bye! See you tomorrow Big Sis!" Azelia yelled back over her shoulder as she disappeared.

Shikieiki waved to her, turning her attention to the woman who bowed in greeting. She did so in return. "My name is… um…."

"It is alright, I understand girl. I am Rie. I will call you Sis. You played with my daughter today?"

"Ah yes, please excuse me if I was out of order." Shiki bowed deeper.

"No, please," assured the mother. "You did no wrong. I must thank you, actually."

Relieved, the Yama relaxed and stood up. "She seems… out of place amongst the kids her own age."

"Not just the kids," added Rie. "But many of the villagers as well. They frown on her, and consider her an outcast. An undesirable."

"Really?"

"Yes. They've been watching you all day. You noticed someone following you coming here?"

Shiki nodded. "I did." She realized that the shadow was not anywhere to be seen.

"Well," she continued, "They were following my daughter. Some would wish… misfortune upon her. It breaks my heart… Yet, I can do nothing for her."

"Why would everyone dislike her so much?"

"You understand what we are, I'm sure. I can tell you are not a human like us. Did Azelia tell you about her _handicap_?"

She nodded.

"Mm, like a chick without wings. A bird with no feathers. The runt of the litter. But she is my daughter, and I love her so. It is an injustice, but I cannot risk the wrath of the rest of the village, so I cannot speak out for her."

Shikieiki's heart sank. It was bleeding for this young girl. To be so ostracized and hated that there were people who wished you harm… What kind of a messed up person would be like that?

Rie looked her up and down. "You're quite a beautiful young woman, now that I look at you Sis. What are you doing out here?"

"Training," replied Shikieiki. "For my duty. I must see the world."

"I see… Obviously, you are keeping the details of yourself quiet for good reason."

"I would tell you my name and all, but it's best if I don't. I'm sorry."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "No no, don't worry. Considering what this village is, you're not the strangest enigma around."

A thought crossed Shiki's mind, and she decided to ask. "Um, is this village getting along with the humans? Is there some kind of harmony here?"

Rie smiled and nodded. "Yes. We'd like to believe we're the first place in all of Gensokyo to have youkai and humans living together in harmony. They help us, and we help them. Since we are Sirens, we do not have male children. So, humans from the surrounding villages come to marry our kind, and start families. In return, we trade and send supplies, generally helping in any way possible. We even use our powers medically as an anesthesia. When applied correctly, our song does not brainwash a man under our control, but lulls him into a state of ignorant bliss. It wears off without any residual effects."

"Amazing." After a moment of silence, Shiki bowed again. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Rie-san."

"And you as well, Sis. Will you be coming by to see my daughter again tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I'll be sticking around for a while. I think I need to."

Rie bowed deeply. "Thank you very much. You are doing me a great honor, and my daughter. Please, help her have the childhood she deserves, at least a little bit."

"I will. Goodnight then!"

"Mm."

They waved goodbye to each other.

Shikieiki turned and went back down the street. There were few people out now, and they only cast her glances, minding their own business. She found herself back at the entrance to Starry Night after a few minutes of walking.

Entering, she was greeted by the lone innkeeper, a young man with short swept hair, and spectacles. He smiled warmly as she approached. "How many nights would you like to stay?"

She hesitantly replied, "I'm not sure… It could be a while but…"

"No need to explain, I understand. You became friends with the little girl? Azelia?"

"Yes, she said you knew her?"

He nodded and opened a ledger, writing something down. "I met her about two years ago, when she was running around town and was looking for a place to hide from some… _radicals_. I let her stay with me, and we got to know each other very well. Since I have to run this place though, I couldn't spend _all_ my time with her." He smiled and looked up from the book. "Kid has had it real rough, since day one. I saw you outside with her earlier actually. She's never looked at anyone like she looks at you before. You're a ray of sunshine in her dark dark world."

"Quite a poetic way to put it."

"I couldn't say it any other way. If there was a god, he must be rectifying the balance by sending you here. No one should ever be made to live like she does. Just what kind of injustice like that goes without question, you know?"

Shikieiki nodded solemnly. Yeah… she knew alright.

"I want to help her… well, _we_ want to help her. There's a small group of us in town that can see past the whole no powers thing, but we're small. The majority of the sirens, and their husbands don't like her. Most won't hurt her outright, but like I mentioned when I met her, there are a few radicals around."

"I don't intend to leave her hanging."

"Be careful," he warned, continuing to write in his ledger. "There's a lot of them out there, and just one of you. Try not to get on the wrong side of the fence, you know. But, still help the kid. She deserves it."

Shikieiki nodded. "I understand. So…"

"Right. I got so caught up that I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Y-"

"Yasuo, right? Azelia mentioned your name. I'm Big Sis."

He chuckled. "Uh huh. You got it, I won't ask about it. Okay then, staying here in the inn. Regular rate is 5000 Yen a night, including dinner and breakfast. So, what were you looking at?"

"Umm, let me see…" Shikieiki dug into her robes and opened her money bag. She still had about forty gold coins left, courtesy of the Academy, each worth about 20,000 yen. But, if she stayed a while… would she have enough to last? She supposed she could work too… Still, if it came down to it, she could request extra funding, but that wouldn't look good on her training.

Yasuo cleared his throat. "I said regular rate was 5000 yen, but I don't think you're a regular customer. For you," he smiled warmly and marked something in the ledger before continuing, "a _special_ rate is in order. As thanks for helping out Azelia. How about a measly 1000 yen? To be honest, I'm not really losing any money. Travelers passing through are so used to the hiked up price for inns like this that I get away with it. Also, I'm the only worker, so that factors in."

Shikieiki nodded, relieved. "Can I give you this then, as enough for about a month?" She set down two gold coins. "After that, depending on how long I'm here, I'll pay accordingly."

Yasuo stared at the money speechlessly. He fumbled for something under his desk, pulling out a magnifying glass and shakily examining the coins. "T-these… you know what these are, right?"

"Is it not enough? Or do you not accept it? I understand if you don't."

"No! I mean, it's not that. T-this gold… the engraving…" He looked up at her with serious eyes. "You've come a real long way, haven't you? This gold coin… it only comes from one place, and I've only heard the legends… the stories. Seen the pictures people drew. Do you realize how much it's worth here?"

"Well," shrugged Shikieiki, "From where I'm from, it's about 20,000 yen. In my travels, most places just consider it regular gold, and it's worth about the same."

"Don't jip yourself, miss. The gold at its true value is at least 300,000 yen a piece. You could pay yourself up almost a year at regular rate, or two for the discount."

Surprised, Shiki looked down into her money bag. "I had no idea…"

"Yeah, but most people don't know what you're carrying. If you want to get the real value out of them, you'd have to push a bit. But since it's me, I've got you covered. Just one coin is enough."

"No, please," urged Shikieiki, pushing the money towards him. "Keep it all. You deserve it. I don't know how long I'll be here, but it could be a long time, honestly."

He looked back at her silently for a few seconds before shrugging and smiling. "You don't know how happy you've made me. Seriously, I think there must be a god sending you around, changing the world. You're an angel, sweetheart. A damn pretty one at that too."

She smiled and flipped her hair. "Everybody is saying that today."

"Well, you are deserving of it. I won't ask about your past, or where you're from and why. The money talks, in more ways than one. What matters now, is that you'll be a guest of the Starry Night in for… I dunno. Let's say for an extended stay, and see where it goes, eh? Onto business then. Of course, I can bring you up some dinner, and breakfast is down here in the morning. There's bathrooms with segregated showers down the hall from your room. Only a couple other people are here at the moment, so don't worry too much about noise. Typically, I don't get more than half a full house. Did you need anything else? We have laundry too."

"No, I think I'm good. I just need to rest now."

"Right. Dinner tonight is a family special of mine: roasted chicken with a side of greens and miso soup. Did you want me to bring you a serving?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you so much, Yasuo-san."

"Hey," he shrugged in response, "You're my customer now, and I'd also like to think my friend in the future."

"Sure thing," smiled Shikieiki as she took a key from his outstretched hand with the number "109" on it.

"No one else in the rooms beside you, and it's right next to bathrooms, showers, and laundry. There's a second floor, but no room above yours. All good?"

"Mhmm," she responded lazily, already heading past the common room and down the hall towards her room.

"Alright," he called after her, returning to his work, "Be there in a few."

Shikieiki unlocked the door to her room and stepped inside, lighting a candle on the wall with her magic. It was a cozy room, and smelled nice and clean. There was a western style bed instead of a futon, and a desk against the wall. A chest sat in the corner with a lock and key beside it.

She shed her robes and set her bag down. She'd been carrying it all day while playing with Azelia, and sighed in relief as her shoulders relaxed. It had been about a week since she last got her clothes cleaned, and they were starting to smell. Figuring now would be a fine time to shower, Shikieiki put on a light gown and gathered her dirty clothing.

Walking back out and peeking down the hall, she made sure no one was around before going into the bathrooms.

It was spacious, with a separate area and stalls for the toilets, and a separate space for the showers. Clothes-washing tubs sat in the corner with detergent ready to go. She stood in the first area, with benches and little baskets and lockers to put your things in. A doorway to the left led to the toilets, and a doorway to the right led to the showers.

Deciding to wash her clothes first, Shiki sat down and poured some water out of a tap in the wall into a tub. It was quite nice and advanced for such a simple inn. Very luxurious.

Mixing in a little detergent, she set to work washing. After a couple minutes of vigorous scrubbing, her clothing was cleaned to her liking, and she drained the dirty, soapy water. Refilling the tub with fresh water, she rinsed her things, and then strained them dry. Another door led out to an open air balcony with clothes lines. She hung her stuff up, and then went back in to shower.

There were towels and a bath robe ready outside each shower stall, so when she was done, she dried off, redressed, and returned to her room, making a mental note to get her clothes in the morning.

A trolley sat in front of her door with a covered dinner plate and note saying, "Enjoy!"

Shikieiki smiled and took her dinner in, pushing the trolley against the side of the hall out of the way.

It was delicious, a welcome meal and respite after so many days of traveling the countryside. Before long, the Yama felt the exhaustion of her travels settling in, and she finished quickly. Removing the robe, she lay down in the bed, the most comfortable she had been in a while, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came as a wonderfully peaceful experience to Shikieiki. Sunlight streamed down onto her bed from the window, and she stretched out, yawning loudly.

Putting the bath robe back on, she meandered into the bathroom, stepping into one of the showers. After a brisk wake-up wash, she collected her clothes out on the line and went back into the room to change.

Yasuo was over by the kitchen area wearing a chef's robe, and waved to her as she walked in. There were two other people sitting at tables enjoying a morning meal, but they paid her no attention.

"Good morning!" He called to her. "How about some breakfast? Western style eggs and biscuits with bacon and some hot tea."

Shikieiki nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Here you go," he said with a smile as he plated a hot serving and set it on the kitchen bar.

She pulled up a seat and dug in, humming in satisfaction.

"So," he began, "What are you thinking of doing today? Not that you need to tell me. I'd like to think of this as a step closer to being better friends."

"Well," she started to reply, stuffing a biscuit with some yolk on it into her mouth. "I'm going to visit Azelia again. I'll also probably visit around town more, get better acquainted with the people here."

"Huh. Might be a tough deal. Like I said before, the people here kinda look down on the poor girl. That includes those who get close too."

"I'm not worried. I don't think that should stop me from being her friend."

Yasuo put his hand on Shiki's, a serious look in his eye. "I'm concerned for your safety, but I'm even more concerned for _hers_. If people see you with her… well. Let's just say they might be more compelled to take active action."

She sighed. "I understand. But I can't stand idly by while she's treated that way. I'll protect her, no matter what."

He shrugged. "Look, I'm sure you're packing some heat. But be careful, yeah? These are good people, and they don't deserve to get badly hurt. They just… have unenlightened ideals."

A small familiarly cheery voice called from the entrance of the inn. "Heeeey! Big Sis! Good Mooorning!" Azelia stood there with a happy grin, wearing a clean, cute little dress. She was glowing, excitement oozing out of her peppy little frame.

"Well. Wouldn't you know. Guess the little girl found you first today, huh?" Yasuo smiled. "Just keep in mind what I said, okay? It's for all our sakes."

Shiki nodded and thanked him for the meal, turning and walking over to Azelia.

The little girl ran up and hugged her tightly, surprising her. "Hey, what do you wanna do today, Big Sis?"

She looked down into her soft eyes, a wash of motherly love coming over her. "You know, why don't we walk around for a while? I'd like to get to see town more."

"Sure! I can show you the coolest places. They're the best!"

"I'm sure they are."

"C'mon!" She started tugging, pulling Shiki out towards the street.

Yasuo waved goodbye, smiling.

They went all around town, the small girl pointing out places of interest and shops that Shiki could visit. Incidentally, a large majority of them were places with toys, and candies. But still, it made the Yama happy to see such a lively place, despite the dark cloud hanging over the siren.

"Here, this is the last place," Azelia clucked as they stopped in front of yet another candy shop. "It's got the best chocolates. They're so sugary, and sweet, and really smooth! Everybody thinks that they're the best in all the nearby villages."

"Is that so? I'll have to try some then."

Azelia looked down, rubbing her foot in the ground. "Well… um… Big Sis, um…"

"I'll get you some too."

She hopped up and smiled. "Yay! Thank you Big Sis! Thank y-"

Shikieiki sensed something flying towards them and whipped out her hand, catching a heavy brick with ease just in front of the little girl's head.

"Hyah! W-w-what was that?" Azelia fell to the ground, shocked and scared, staring at the object.

A gruff voice called out from behind them. "Hey! You there! Pretty fast, aren't ya? Why don't you just step back, huh? And leave the little girl to us." A group of men and women were gathered, all armed with various weapons and tools. They looked serious, eyeing Azelia with dangerous intent. "Ya don't need to concern yourself with the town's business. We take care of our own, and keep this place _pure_."

"Big Sis… t-t-they're the bad people… they want to hurt me. D-don't leave me alone, please…"

"I won't," she assured her, turning and stepping in front of her. "Don't step any closer, I'm warning you," she called out.

They laughed. "Hah! Who the hell do ya think you are? This is _your_ last chance. Walk away, and forget about this town. And you'll live."

A cold anger started to rise in Shikieiki, but she tempered it, remembering Yasuo's words. As an enma to be, it was her duty to be fair. "I will not move," she responded stonily.

"Eh. We warned you. We tried twice, isn't that right guys?" The group nodded to each other, murmuring agreement. "Looks like there's only one way." Vicious eyes focused on her, and they stepped closer, grinning with evil intent.

"Big Sis!" Azelia clutched her tightly in terror. "Big Sis! W-w-what're you gonna do?"

She turned and knelt down, caressing the girl's little face and smiled, in reassurance. "Don't worry, we'll be okay. I'll take care of it."

A hammer raised up over her head.

"Look out!" Cried Azelia, eyes wide in fear.

Five seconds. Everything happened in a flash, and in five seconds, half the group was unconscious, lying on the ground. Their weapons were broken, and lay in messes. The rest looked on in shock, and fear. "W-w-w-what the hell are you!" They backed up, terrified. One of the women, a siren, stepped up and tried to use her power, weaving a violent song of pain and death. But it did not affect Shikieiki. "N-no, it can't be… No one can resist the sirensong… Just what the hell are you?!"

Shikieiki stood and faced them, face set in stone. She responded with flat indifference, "A friend to those who face injustice. Now, leave her alone, and don't ever go after her again. Or you will be _judged as such_."

The group dispersed, running off in frantic confusion. Before long, only the unconscious people lay there.

Onlookers watched in riveted surprise, unsure of what they saw, or what to do.

"Good people!" Shikieiki called out to them. "I am not your enemy. I do not wish to be. But I will not stand to see injustice anywhere. When these people wake up, tell them what I said today. And take care of them, please. Don't worry. They are not dead."

After a minute of stunned silence, the street began to move again. Some villagers came over and picked up the knocked out aggressors, avoiding Shikieiki's gaze.

She turned and was nearly knocked over as Azelia ran up and wrapped herself around her, tears streaming down her face. "Big Sis! Big Sis! I was so scared… I was so scared…"

"Don't worry… don't worry," she cooed, rubbing the girl's hair, and breathing a shuddering sigh of relief. Shikieiki's felt sick to her stomach. She hadn't done this before, but was it the right thing to do? She didn't kill them… but… could there have been another way to stop them? What was right? What was wrong?

Azelia cried softly into her robe, hugging her for dear life. After a few minutes, she pulled herself away, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand.

Shikieiki knelt down and held her hands. "Hey, why don't we call it a day? I think the both of us need to rest for a little while, after that."

She nodded, sniffing.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your home. Stay close."

The villagers watched them go curiously, but no one stopped them.

It was still about midday, when they arrived at the little siren's home. Rie ran out, and gathered the girl into her arms, kissing her with motherly affection. She set her down, and let her run back inside, turning to Shikieiki.

The Yama expected to be yelled at, but was surprised when she bowed deeply.

"Thank you so much," she said. "I heard about what happened, and I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done for my daughter."

"No please, it is only expected of me. I won't let harm come to her."

"Thank you." Rie stood up. "But… are you okay? They may come after you again. And… my daughter as well, I'm afraid."

"I'll be fine. They know not to mess with me. But I'll make sure to protect Azelia. I won't let anything happen to her as long as I'm around."

Rie nodded. "I see. Thank you, once again. Will you be fine?"

Shikieiki nodded. "Yes, I just need to relax a bit. I'll be okay after that."

"Very well then. I must see to my daughter now. Please, take care of yourself, and come visit her soon."

"I will." She bowed and waved goodbye, turning back and heading towards Starry Night. After the whole ordeal, a rinse in the shower or a nap was in order.

Yasuo hurried from around his desk as she walked in, looking her over for any injuries. "You're alright? Not hurt anywhere? I heard about what happened, they say you fought them off. But… not a scratch. What exactly… did you do?"

Shikieiki sighed. "I just made sure they never try something like that again. But, they're alive. I don't kill people."

"Man." He whistled and quirked his eyebrows up. "You sure do have some serious secrets you're hiding, aren't you? But, like I said before: none of my business. Need anything to soothe you? I can make you a drink, or if you're not into alcoholic beverages, maybe something more along the lines of tea?"

"Some tea would be nice," she replied with a slight smile.

"Sure thing. I'll bring it to your room in a few minutes. Want anything else?"

"No, I think I'm alright," she replied, shaking her head. "I'm just going to lay down. Knock when you come."

"Alright. Take it easy, be there in a few."

Shikieiki started towards the hall as Yasuo disappeared behind the kitchen bar, the clatter and clunk of dishes indicating that he was getting on the tea right away.

She went into her room, and plopped down onto the bed, a swirl of thoughts sloshing around in her mind. What did the town think of her now? Or of Azelia? And will she be safe? She did tell them not to bother the girl again, but… was the show of force that necessary? What if she actually killed someone?

Shikieiki turned and buried her face in a pillow, groaning into it. "Dammit," she muttered.

There was a knock at the door, and she got up, opening it to the sight of Yasuo holding a tray with a piping kettle and teacup.

"Special blend of my own. This'll relax your bones, and your mind. Sure you didn't need anything else?"

"No," she responded quietly, taking the tray, and setting it down on the desk.

He stood there for a second, eyeing her with worry before backing out. "Alright then. Take it easy, huh?"

"Mhmm." Shikieiki closed the door after him, and poured herself a cup. The aroma was heavenly, and immediately relaxing. Letting it cool for a minute, she sipped it gingerly, and nearly moaned in delight. The flavor was absolutely marvelous, yet soothing, like Yasuo promised. "The academy doesn't teach magic like this," she mused to herself.

It only took a cup, but soon after, the Yama felt exhaustion creeping up on her and decided to lay down. She closed her eyes for just a second, and slipped into the dream world.

She woke up with a start, and looked over to the window. The sun was hanging a little above the horizon, its orange glow filtering onto the walls of the room.

The tea, and nap did wonders for her. She felt better than ever, but a little anxious about going out into the town again.

Shikieiki went into the showers for a quick rinse, redressed, and headed back outside.

Yasuo waved to her, but didn't say anything. He figured she could take care of herself at this point.

The people of the village made way when she passed. They avoided meeting her gaze, quickly walking by and ducking out of the way. Silence followed her wherever she went.

She just wanted to scream, to tell everyone not to be afraid. That she was their friend. But that wasn't going to work. Not now.

Just as it was starting to really get to her, she noticed a commotion in the middle of the street. One of the siren women was injured, clutching her leg in agony. A broken cart lay next to her, a clue as to what had happened.

The villagers parted as they noticed Shikieiki approaching, falling silent. The injured woman looked up at her in fear, and terror, as she stood before her.

Without saying a word, Shiki knelt down and put a hand on the woman's leg.

She tensed up, unsure of what was happening.

"Don't worry," reassured the Yama as she focused her power, and began to feel the fibers of the injured muscle and bone repair themselves.

After a few moments, she let go, and stepped back.

The siren looked down, and back up, speechless. She slowly got up, carefully putting weight on her leg, but quickly stood when she felt no pain.

Everyone stared back at Shikieiki speechless.

She turned to leave, but the siren hurried over and grabbed her hand. "Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes.

Shikieiki was stunned for a moment, but broke into a warm smile. "It was the right thing to do. Everyone," she began, gesturing to the crowd in big motions, "I don't mean anyone harm. I want to be your friend, and to help you. I will stand by anyone who faces injustice. So please, let me stand with you."

Silence. But then there were cheers. Everyone surrounded her, grabbing her hands and hugging her, showering the overwhelmed yama with praises.

If there was a way to earn the town's good graces and trust, she had just done it.

It took about an hour for her to get back to the inn, but by that time, news had spread across town. Everyone started to call her, "The angel."

Yasuo grinned at her as she walked in. "Told ya. Even the townsfolk think you're a gift from god."

"Don't give me that. I only do what is right."

"C'mon, you did some seriously godly stuff today. Kicking ass faster than the eye can see, and then using magic to heal a broken leg? That's straight down the list gift from god."

"Hmph." She smiled to herself. "Maybe I can get used to being somewhat of a celebrity. But, still. I just want to help people."

"Sure, sure. That's what matters I suppose." He leaned over his desk and winked. "Isn't that right, _angel_?"

"Well, maybe I like the sound of that. But, I'm going to bed. Today was a little too crazy for me. Going from being hated to being loved in less than twelve hours is quite an emotional ride."

"Alright. Want dinner?"

She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm sure it's something delicious today, but I just want to sleep more than anything."

"Fried sparrow with baked potatoes, salad, miso soup, and rice pudding?"

"Oh, please don't tempt me."

"Suit yourself. Good night then."

Shikieiki waved and headed back into her room. She didn't even undress, or shower, plopping right down into the bed and covering up. As she closed her eyes, a soft smile played onto her lips. Perhaps… she _was_ some kind of gift from heaven to these people. But she knew better than that.

The days passed in wonderful harmony. Shikieiki fit right in with the villagers after that, helping them and becoming part of their daily lives. She was famous for her moral integrity, and kindness. When there was sadness, she sad. When there was happiness, she was happy.

Azelia was treated better by the other kids as well, now that they knew she was friends with the _Angel_. Despite that though, there were still times when she was bullied, or looked down by the villagers. But not nearly as much as before. No one attacked her or showed signs of hurting her. Rather, the people started warming up to her.

A year passed.

It was time for Shikieiki to move on. Despite how much she had fallen in love with the place, she knew she couldn't stay forever. Azelia was confident in herself now, and growing into a strong young girl. The two had become close, like sisters. Rie had actually offered to make Shiki part of the family, but she respectfully declined, explaining that she wouldn't be staying forever, no matter how much she wanted. Azelia had taken to calling her _Sis_ , already steadfast with the idea that they were sisters, no matter what.

Shikieiki gathered her things and stepped out into the common room of the Starry Night, adjusting the travel robe which she had not worn in a long time.

Yasuo came over, bowing deeply and hesitating for a moment before stepping in for a hug. "Thanks," he whispered, as she returned the gesture.

"I must thank you as well. This place… I never thought I would get so attached."

"Well, all good things must come to an end. With this-" He opened up his ledger and made a note. "Officially marks your departure from the Starry Night." Yasuo was silent for a moment, awkwardly shifting his weight. "So uh, where are you heading now? Just out on the road again?"

"Yes. I must continue on my journey, and learn the ways of the world. My duty demands it."

"Riiight, I almost forgot about that, since you'd been with us for so long. Well, if I understand what I think I know about where you come from, your journey is gonna take you pretty far."

"Indeed. Ah, here, take this." Shikieiki pulled out two more gold coins and pressed them into his hands. "As thanks for taking care of me, and Azelia. I want you to take care of yourself as well."

He looked shocked, but nodded, eyes glistening. "Thanks. I gotcha. So… uh. Goodbye then?"

Shikieki started out towards the door, turning back to him one last time. "I'd like to say goodbye, but if I've learned anything on my travels, it's that I'll see you again some day."

"Right. See ya then." He waved with a smile as she went outside.

There was a crowd gathered at the edge of the village, leading out to the main road. Everyone heard about her departure, and came to wish her goodbye.

"Thank you everyone," she began, trying not to let emotions overwhelm her. "I'm thankful for the time I've spent here. I learned so much from all of you, things that I'd never have understood otherwise. Until next time, I'll be saying farew-"

"SIS!" Azelia ran out from the crowd, Rie not far behind. She ran up and dove into her legs, clutching tightly for dear life. "Don't go! Don't go, don't go, don't go! I want you to stay, and be with us! We love you! Everybody does. Momma says you can even be part of the family! I want you to stay!"

Tears began to gather in the corner of Shikieiki's eye. She knelt down and hugged the girl tightly, breathing with shuddering breaths as she bit back the flood of emotions crashing into her. "I want to stay too, Azelia. But I have to go. It's time for me to go back to my duty."

"Who cares about duty!" She cried, sobbing into her shoulder. "You showed me that it's okay to be weird, so it's okay to not do your duty! Your duty is stupid! It's taking you away from me!"

"Oh, Azelia…"

They stayed together for a minute, though Shikieiki wanted it to be forever, but she had to gently push the girl away, looking her in the eyes. Her scrunched up face streamed tears, much like the day they first met. "Little sis, I want you to grow up strong, and be able to take care of yourself. Travel the world someday, like me, and be happy." She looked up at Rie, who nodded and walked over, peeling the girl off Shikieiki and holding her in place. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now," she said in a quiet voice, and turned to leave.

The crowd parted to allow her through, and watched silently. People were waving, and some actually had tears.

Suddenly, a high, trembling voice like flowing honey sounded from behind her. Shikieiki turned in surprise to see Azelia standing there, her mouth open, attempting to use the sirensong to call her back. But it didn't work of course.

Everyone was shocked. Silence settled over as she stopped singing, realizing it was no use, and a fresh wave of tears began to flow.

The crowd cheered, and Rie gathered her up into her arms, kissing and hugging her. Azelia had finally unlocked her power.

Shiki smiled, and turned back towards the road, heading on her way.

Azelia was scooped up by everyone, being showered with kisses, praises, and acceptance.

The last thing the Yama saw of her was the little girl raising a small, shuddering hand in farewell, her face scrunched up in tears. She waved back, and turned to her duty, never looking back once, and biting back the tears.

 **30 Years Pass**

The familiar road Shikieiki had walked so long ago stretched out before her. Not long now, until she reached the siren village.

Her journey was almost done, it having had taken her to the farthest reaches of the realm where even the sun didn't shine. Now, she was on her way back home, and wanted to tie up a few loose ends.

Excited, she hurried her step, looking forward to seeing everyone again. How did Azelia look now? Surely she grew up to be a beautiful young woman. Rie, her mother, might even still be around, since Sirens age more slowly than normal humans. Hey, even Yasuo might still be there, and the Starry Night.

She hopped along merrily, the weariness of travel seeming to disappear as memories of the village came back to her.

Strange though. She should've started to see the people by now, but then again it had been 30 years. Things change.

She tried to ignore the bad feeling that was growing in her stomach and plodded on. A little further, she spotted someone coming up the road. A villager! Shikieiki raised her hand in greeting as they got closer, but let it drop when she saw who it was.

The man was like a zombie, staring blankly forward and hoisting a large sack. He showed no sign of even acknowledging her presence, only shuffling along towards some preordained destination.

There was something seriously wrong. Shikieiki could feel it in the air, a heavy sense of magical influence and stagnation.

And death.

Worried, she hurried forward, no longer excited by the prospect of seeing the village, but fearful of what may have happened.

The Yama passed a horrifying sight, confirming her fears. A small settlement that used to be a bustling trade center was reduced to no more than black ashes and skeletons. It was destroyed for quite some time now, as it was cold and beginning to show signs of natural vegetation growing back in.

She felt sick to her stomach, and turned to vomit. Retching, she looked back and saw the remains of the people. What happened here?

Whatever it was, she needed to get to the village, immediately. Everything was wrong. Was there a war? A battle? What about that man who looked possessed? What could have-

It struck her. Of course.

The sirens.

They did something. Now, she needed to find out what.

Shikieiki continued forward, raising the hood on her robe. It was best if her identity remained unknown for now. If what she thought actually happened, she could assume that her presence wouldn't exactly be welcomed.

The village loomed in the distance. There were more people now, though just mindless men shuffling to and fro with some kind of task in mind. A few sirens traveled the road, and shot her a curious look, but she used her magic to hide her presence and hurried along.

There was a great wall around the town, like a palisade. Armed guards stood watch at the entrance, waving people through after checking them. She stopped before they could see her, and considered her options. No chance of getting in without being questioned and possibly caught… so the best thing to do was…

Stealth of course.

A cart laden with sacks and hay was passing by her. Looking around to make sure no sirens saw, or the guards, she climbed in and buried herself as deep as possible.

Waiting inside, being bounced around with every bump of the road, Shikieiki held her breath and tried to ease her pounding heart. She used her magic to hide her presence once again.

The cart stopped and she heard the guards talking outside. Suddenly, a spear came through and struck the spot next to her. She bit her lip to stifle a yelp, clutching her robe tightly. After a moment, it retracted, and the cart started moving again. Breathing a sigh of relief, she waited a minute before digging herself up and peeking out.

They were approaching some stables, the perfect place to hop off. As the cart pulled in, she rolled out and brushed herself off, making sure that no one was watching before ducking through an alley.

Guards patrolled the street, men under the possession of the sirens. They appeared to be coming from closer to the heart of town, where a steady stream of sirens were headed. Figuring that was a good place to find out what was going on, Shikieiki quietly slipped her way around the buildings, slowly getting closer without detection.

She could hear someone yelling, rallying people under a banner of some sort. There were too many people gathered to tell from where she was, and to try to push through was asking to get caught immediately. There was a house to her right that looked empty, and she slunk up to it, looked around, and climbed in through the window.

It was some kind of abandoned hut, with dust covering the old tables and furnishings. Fortunately, it allowed her to slip past the crowds and closer towards the sound of the voice. Going out the other side, she found herself at the center of town, behind a low wall. Some bushes shielded her from view to her left. She stayed low, and just peeked over the top, breath catching in her throat at what was there.

A beautiful young woman stood on a stage, all dressed in scarlet battle armor, and was rallying hundreds of men and women. At least a hundred armored men stood at attention before her, hurrahing to every peak of her voice.

"We will take back this land!" She called out to them. "We will show them our power, and make them regret having taken our lives from us. An eye for an eye!"

The soldiers and the crowd cheered, fists pumping in the air.

"Our kind, the sirens, will lead this world towards a better future, where none will have to worry _about_ the future! For those we have lost! For those we will lose! For those we love!"

Cheers.

What was this? Shikieiki looked on in shock, and realized with growing horror that the place she left long ago was no longer the same. Something happened, and now, the sirens had taken over. Did she do something wrong back then? So, where was Azelia? And Rie? Yasuo?

"Hey! Who goes there?" A masked guard was looking around the bush to her left, walking over with weapon drawn. "You aren't part of the _Queen's_ people. No outsiders!" He raised his sword, empty eyes focused on her.

She only had a split second to react. Either way, her cover was blown now, as several of the soldiers were starting to look over. The woman on the stage had also taken notice.

In one fluid movement, faster than the eye could see, she disarmed him and knocked him out. Taking his mask, Shikieiki put it on and hopped over the wall.

The soldiers drew their weapons and formed a defensive perimeter, quickly surrounding her against the wall. Their spears and swords shone in the bright sunlight.

A woman's laugh rose from behind their ranks. They parted, and the siren from onstage came forward, clapping her hands. "Hah, ha, ha. You are quite something… I must admit. Making it all the way through my city, right up to its heart undetected." She drew her sword. "What is your purpose here? Speak, and I may yet spare your life."

Stomach knotted, Shikieiki recognized the woman's face. It was unmistakable, now that she was closer. "Azelia…" she whispered, shocked.

"Huh? You know my name? Interesting. Still, that is not what I asked. Speak now! Last chance."

"Azelia… what is going on? Why are you doing this?"

"You truly are a stranger, aren't you? To not know that for the past five years, I have transformed this land, along with all the nearby villages into havens for sirens… quite unfortunate. You see, you've wandered into the belly of the beast. I command them, as their queen, and will lead my people to glory. We will take all of Gensokyo, and the sirens will reign. Of course, we will not be unfair, as everyone will love us. Whether they want to, _or not_."

"This is wrong… and you know it."

She snapped back at her, raising the point of her sword. "What do you know of right and wrong?! I grew up alienated, hurt, just because I was different. Do not tell me what is justice, and what is not. I have seen it."

"Don't do this… please."

"You have no say here. Now, I must decide what to do with you. Pledge your life to me now, and you'll live forever under my possession, happily of course. Otherwise, die."

Shikieiki fought back her emotions, turning to her side as an Enma. Throwing away all feeling, she became stony, and unyielding. "I will not surrender." She looked around herself, into the souls of the soldiers and the sirens. The men were too far gone. They weren't living anymore. The sirens were all tainted by blood. Every single one had taken a life, or more. Azelia's soul was the darkest.

"Very well. Men? Execute her."

They began to close in, weapons drawn, and faces blank. There was no indication that they felt anything about it, just following orders as they were told.

"I'm sorry," whispered Shikieiki under her breath, and let go of the last piece of emotion she had.

Five seconds. In five seconds, blood soaked the earth, and the mangled bodies of men and sirens littered the ground. Azelia fell backwards, scrambling over the bodies of her brethren, stricken in fear and terror. She was the only one that survived, but not by chance. She was spared on purpose.

Shikieiki held the last soldier up with a sword through his chest, withdrawing it and removing his head in a single swipe. She turned to Azelia, the bloodstained mask falling from her face.

The siren's eyes widened in realization, and shock. "Y-y-you?! S-s-s-Sis! B-but why?"

"Azelia…" She stepped closer, and the siren scrambled back further, yelping in terror. "You have sinned. You are guilty of so much death, and pain. Why?"

She did not answer, still gripped by the death of her comrades at the hands of her most loved person.

"Answer me!" Commanded Shikieiki.

"They… they took momma away from me," she muttered through choked breath. "Those people you stopped that one day… they came back again some years later… and… and… they killed he…." Azelia broke into sobbing tears, crazed and stricken. "Don't you understand?! I lost everything! I lost you… and then I lost Momma! So I learned to fight… and used my powers. I killed… I killed all of them… and… and their families…"

"Azelia… you shouldn't have…"

"You don't understand! You left me and momma alone! I said you shouldn't go, I said so!" The siren cried pitifully.

Shikieiki looked at her, a small shred of emotion coming back. Azelia looked just like she did, the day she left.

At that moment, there was a cry from the entrance to the center of town. Sirens were beginning to gather, and charged at Shikieiki. "For our queen! Protect her!"

"No!" Azelia cried out, but it was too late.

Their bodies dropped to the ground, lifeless.

"No…" She looked on, powerless, withdrawing to her fate.

"Azelia," began Shikieiki, a flat tone to her voice. "I will give you one last chance. You will live today, but in return, I want you to make up for everything you've done. Live a proper life, and help others. Then, one day, I might see you again, in a different light. And that's for your sake." With that, she turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" She cried after her. "What _are_ you? And why did you come back? Why… why did they have to die? You said you would never kill! Why…"

Shiki stopped, and looked back over her shoulder. "30 years changes a person. I've learned many things. Death, is but one." She turned back and continued walking, ignoring the stricken cries behind her.

As she walked, she looked into the souls of the sirens she passed. Any that were guilty… she killed them. Any that approached her, or attempted to possess her… she killed them. That day… Shikieiki nearly ended the Siren race.

She came across an old burned down building. A charred sign lay face down. Flipping it over, she was able to make out what it used to be. Starry Night.

The day went on, and she hit the road once more.

Some years passed, and Azelia found herself drifting on the wind, traveling from town to town, much like the one who had shown her what it meant to be on the side of good. Right up until…

She would visit towns, and try to help as she could, working for board and food. Sometimes, she'd use her sirensong to convince people to be more amiable… but she tried not to. Never again, decided the woman, that she would use her powers to control people.

It wasn't always great. Some days, Azelia went hungry, and cold. Others, she was hurt, and beaten by the people that she worked for. Tricked, and tossed away. But still, never would she raise a hand against them.

One day, she was sitting alone on a bench outside an inn, empty and void of emotion. Life wasn't worth living, not after what she'd done. Did she really deserve to live? When Sis spared her that day… she wanted her to suffer, didn't she? Well, this was too much. No one should have to suffer like this. Dying… would be better. She deserved it. Then again, death, would be too lenient an escape. Wouldn't it?

"What are you so down about, hm?" A light voice brought her out of her stupor, and Azelia looked up to see a young girl standing before her. "You seem out of sorts. Want to work for me?"

"I… don't deserve such kindness. Just… let me be…"

"Hmph. Stupid. I can smell magic on you. And the blood and death. You ooze of it."

Shocked, she looked up into the girl's eyes. They were scarlet… inhumanly so. "Who… are you?"

The girl smiled, and curtsied elegantly. "My name is Remilia Scarlet. I found myself here in Gensokyo not too long ago, and am in need of servants and maids." She eyed Azelia with curiosity. "You're a siren, aren't you?"

"What? How did you know?"

"I am the _proud vampire_ , Remilia Scarlet. I should have mentioned that. Considering what your past might be, I can guess someone let you live? No one that stinks so much of death is as depressed as you are. Usually because they're already dead."

Azelia looked down, broken hearted. Memories of Sis came back to her, that one day when she slaughtered everyone…

"Look, come with me. I will give you a place to stay and food. In return, I want you to help me expand my workforce. What do you say? You have nothing to lose. And I'm sure whoever let you live, doesn't want you to lose either."

She thought about it, silently floating along. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Hm, good answer. Follow me." Remilia turned around and started walking away.

Azelia watched her back, considering just sitting and not moving. But… something was urging her. Compelling her to go. She got up, and trudged after the young vampire.

Remilia smiled as the girl followed her.

 **At the mansion:**

"Here we are. It's not so great right now, but the few people I do have are just enough to keep it running." Remilia gestured to the grand mansion they stood before.

Azelia sucked her breath in, amazed at the structure before them. The courtyard was overgrown, and the gate rusted. Ivy crawled across the walls, and the clock tower was not working. But still, seeing past that, this place was incredible.

"You'll meet Patchouli and maybe Flandre, my sister, later. For now, follow me."

They went inside, and up to the second floor. After walking down a short corridor, Remilia led her into a room with dusty furniture and a burning fireplace. One other person was inside, relaxing. They stood to attention as soon as the vampire entered, saying, "Ojousama!"

"Relax. This is a new hire. Her name is Azelia."

"Nice to meet you," bowed the siren.

"Play nice. Azelia, your duty from now on is a maid. However, I have one more thing for you to do. When I met you earlier, I said I wanted you to help me expand my workers. I want you to use your powers to _influence_ people to come and work for me. Do not, and I repeat, do not control them. Just a little, magical urging, to get them here. Of course, explain everything like you're offering the job like normal. I'm looking for maids, cooks, guards, everything. Got it?"

"Yes."

"One more thing. I am your master now. Refer to me as such."

Something twinged in Azelia, but she pushed it away. "Yes… Mistress."

"Good. Now then. You can learn your duties from Roxy over there. When you're not learning, or working, go get some help. It'll be good for you in the end anyway."

"Yes Mistress."

"Alright. I'm going now."

Remilia left without another word, walking down the hall to somewhere else in the mansion.

Azelia turned with a sigh, and looked at Roxy. "So… um…"

"Hey, no need to be shy. The place is pretty dirty right now, but there's only like seven us to take care of it. So what was she saying about you recruiting people? You have magic power too?"

"Yeah. I'm a… uh…" She wasn't sure if she should reveal herself, but decided it was for the best, to avoid future problems. "I'm a siren."

"Wow, really? I didn't think those existed."

"Well, we're pretty rare, these days." Memories of before came rushing in, and she forced them down. "So, what do I do?"

Roxy snapped her fingers. "You'll learn the basics. Cleaning! Follow me, I'll show you where everything is. Then, I'll lead you through the methods. Come on, now."

Azelia followed, answering the questions her new acquaintance peppered her with. How long was she going to be here?

 **Two Years Pass…**

"No more do we stand under her rule. We own ourselves! No fear!" Azelia stood at the head of her rebellion, rallying them together. "No more injustice, this time, we fight for what's right! Let's go!"

They charged down the halls, maids and servants, all armed with whatever they could find. Straight to Remilia's throne, they went, and burst through the great double doors.

Remilia sat there, an amused smile playing across her lips. "Oh? A rebellion? Just what do you think you're doing?"

Azelia stepped forward and raised a sword, its point glistening in the candlelight. "You are a tyrant, Remilia! You do not have good intentions for Gensokyo. We are here to stop you. For freedom."

"Is that so?"

The rebels cheered behind Azelia.

"Hm. I guess I'll have to teach you all what it means to be a vampire lord. Although, I'm glad you all came. I've been feeling very peckish tonight. I was just about to call for your service." At that, her smile twisted into a wicked grin.

"Charge!" Azelia swung her sword forward, and the mass of servants rushed forward.

They were mowed down in an instant, their blood splattering the walls and floors.

Azelia blinked in shock, the crimson scarlet dripping from her face. She fell to her knees, the sight before her the same she had seen again and again, every night. That day, still fresh in her mind.

"You see? My pretty little siren. We are nothing alike. I intend to make this land mine, for me and my sister. No more will our kind be looked down on. Hurt. They will all pay."

The siren blinked through tears and blood. She struggled to speak. "Y-y-you… I was like you once… I lost everything. Don't… don't do this."

"Silence!" Remilia swept down and picked her up by the throat. "Do not speak to me like you understand my pain! You are a traitor. You deserve to die." She pulled back, razor nails shining in the light, and thrust her hand into Azelia's chest.

The sharp pain took her breath away, and she coughed wet scarlet, vision turning red and hazy.

"But… I won't let you die so easily. I'm going to give you a gift. A gift that will make you suffer for an eternity."

Azelia looked down into the vampire's eyes, their deep crimson abyss drawing her in.

"I'm gonna give you the _curse_ of longevity. You will live for eons, aging slower than you can imagine. You'll die, someday. But, the world will die before you do."

"Damn… you…" The siren felt a burning pain in her heart as Remilia's magic began to course through her. She fell to the ground, sliding off the vampire's hand, stunned and breathless.

"Hmph. Patchouli!" The magician appeared at the doorway to the throne. "Clean up this mess. And… find a place to put _her_."

"As you wish, master."

"Also, what about the spell?"

"It will take at least a few centuries to completely prepare, but it can be done."

"That's a long time. But time… is all we have I suppose."

"My spell will be worth it master. Just wait and see. The crimson night will last forever."

As her vision faded, Azelia watched Remilia take her seat back on the throne, a wicked smile crossing her face.

 **One hundred years later…**

The wooden door to her cold stony room opened with an echoing click, and Azelia stood to attention.

Remilia stepped in, closing it behind her, and walked up to the edge of the magic boundary.

"Master," began Azelia, "You grace me with your presence today. What is the occasion? You only visit me once every few years now. But the regular food is good."

"Spare me," she responded. "I only visit you out of sympathy. An eternity is a long time alone. Well, _almost_ eternity, for you."

"You speak in biting truths, my Master."

"Trying to earn my graces with such talk won't work. You're here forever. Well, you know what I mean."

Azelia sighed, and sat back down in her chair. "Mistress, I've been alive for longer than I wish. My past… I've done things that I regret with all my being. Yet… you torture me without laying a single finger on me." Memories of her childhood began to resurface. "Must I suffer so? Everyday… I always suffered. Now, all that is left for me… is to suffer."

Remilia listened without saying a word, only watching her with indifference.

"You know, the world outside. What is it like these days? Is the land still green? And the sun still warm? I'd like to know if the Gensokyo I loved is still alive as ever."

After a few moments, the vampire replied with a shrug. "It's not much different. Lives come. Lives go. Cycle after cycle of the same thing."

"I see. Well… Ah! You know what, My Lady? I just remembered something. When I was a young girl, I was bullied a lot. I wanted to die. Really. But then, this young woman came along. I called her Big Sis. Want to hear about her?"

Remilia gave a half smile. She'd heard this story many times before, but for the sake of keeping this siren sane, it was best to humor her. If ever there was going to be a time when she might be useful again, she'd need to be in good health. "I'm interested," she responded. "Tell me about Big Sis."

Azelia smiled and happily got into it. "Well you see, she didn't want to say her real name. So she said her name was Big Sis. It was weird at first, but I went along with it. One day, she protected me from some violent people, and after that, we became like real sisters. I just called her Sis after that. My, those days were quite something, Mistress. Oh yes! This one time, we visited the candy shop, and a girl from the next house was reaching for chocolate, and it fell on her! She was covered in it. And Sis, the kind person she was, helped her get cleaned up, and paid for the mess. Everybody called her Angel. Ah! And this other time, she was walking over to…"

 **The End.**


	17. Chapter 17

Border of Good And Evil

Ch. 17

To Move Forward

The library was silent, save for the flip of paper as Patchouli thumbed through her books with squallid indifference. Sanae sat with Momiji at a table, staring down at the tea before her. Alice was browsing the selection of tomes, searching for something that might help them understand the corruption that was spreading through Gensokyo. Shikieiki sat alone at a small table far from everyone. She had an empty look, like she usually did, but there was something tugging underneath that stoic appearance. It looked as if she could break down into tears at any moment, the time ticking away slowly as she stared down at nothing.

Alice looked at her for a few seconds before turning away and picking out an old tome named, "Dark Magicks: Dimensional Laws." She sat down, coughing as she released a dust cloud upon opening it.

The pages were very old, yellowed and creased with age, but still readable. It was decipherable, written in an old tongue that originated somewhere else other than Gensokyo, or even the world beyond the boundary. When she was younger, Alice had the fortune of obtaining an old dictionary from her mother, the god of Makai, Shinki, and learning a bit of the language. Still, reading the tome was a challenge: she had not mastered it.

It was somewhat strange that a book like that was here in the library, but the puppeteer dismissed the thought, figuring that it wound up here in some way much like everything else. Certainly, it wasn't the only odd item within Patchouli's possession.

Glancing over its contents, she realized there wasn't much she didn't already know. It was all stuff about dimensional rules and properties that were common knowledge to magicians (real magicians anyways).

Sighing she looked back over to Shikieiki. The judge had gotten a cup of tea from Koakuma, and was staring into it silently and examining her own reflection.

It was understandable. Remilia quietly explained it to her when she returned with the two others from the basement. Only an hour ago, Shikieiki had taken the life of someone who was apparently very dear to her. Whatever their past was, what she had done was weighing on her heavily. Due to her position as a Yama, there was no doubt that even more than just her actions were bothering her.

"Haaaah… nothing here either." Alice closed the tome and put it aside, leaning back against the chair. Momiji had come over and sat across from her with a patient demeanor, eyeing her with polite curiosity. Sanae was now conversing with the librarian about magic seals, wanting to learn more about them, and what had affected her earlier.

"Ms. Margatroid," began the wolf, "do you think we'll be able to find anything on what Patchouli was talking about? That magic, or corruption- whatever it was?"

"Maybe. There's just too much to look through here… I don't know if we'll be able to find anything given even a month's time."

"Mmm." Momiji laid her head down on the table, looking sideways at Shikieiki. "Is she going to be alright?"

Alice shrugged. "When they came out, she was completely emotionless. Whatever happened down there was pretty bad. At least none of them got hurt."

"I see."

Shikieiki slowly grasped her tea with a shaky hand, raising it to her lips. She sipped the drink, eyes closed as dark thoughts passed through her mind. Setting the cup down, she stood up and began walking down the aisle, eyes straight ahead.

About to call after her, Alice felt a soft hand fall upon her shoulder.

"Let her be," came the voice of Remilia. "There is a darkness that she needs to confront herself. It's nothing we can help her with."

Hesitantly, Alice nodded and settled down. She watched as Shikieiki turned the corner of the shelf, and went out of sight. Turning, she looked at the vampire questioningly. "What does it mean, when a Yama takes a life like that?"

Remilia looked up and took a breath, letting it out slowly. "Well… it certainly isn't the first time she has. If what that person said to her was true… Then our own judge of black and white is not innocent of spilling blood. But… who can say whether she was justified or not? One can argue a hundred ways for something, and a hundred and one ways against the very same thing. Yet, every argument can be valid in determining right or wrong. That begs the question: what can be labeled as black and white? Do you see? That is the moral struggle she lives with every day. It is simply that, today, she was reminded in a very hard way of what it meant to be a Yama."

"Then… what about Reimu? If it turns out that Reimu is responsible for this corruptive force that's seeping into Gensokyo… what will she do?"

The vampire looked at her with a serious expression. "Shikieiki will make her decision, then and there. I can trust her to do that now."

"Wait… you mean she will _kill_ Reimu?"

"If it must be, then yes."

It was true. Alice knew without needing to ask, but something inside her wanted to hear a real answer. The miko of Hakurei would have to be stopped at all costs, even if it meant destroying her.

Something struck Alice as a suspicion popped into her head. "H-hold on a second… You said you _trust Shikieiki_ _now_. Were you planning that to test her this whole time?"

Remilia was silent for a few moments, but smiled grimly. "Yes. Yes, I was. Ever since the incident here a few months ago when the being that infiltrated the library appeared and began causing the spread of the corruption, I knew Shikieiki would be instrumental in stopping them. I could sense the same taint as the intruder emanating from Reimu after that night. It was a possibility I began to consider at the time, as a precaution. Now, it would seem that possibility is more of a reality than I'd like to believe, but evidence indicates it is true."

Anger began to well up in the puppeteer as she realized they were being led along this entire time. "If you knew all this, why didn't you say anything sooner? If you'd told Reimu when they were searching for the bad guy, she might not have died! What is wrong with you?!"

Patchouli and Sanae were engrossed in their conversation, not noticing Alice raising her pitch.

Without wincing, Remilia nodded. "I understand why you're angry. I thought so too, when Hakurei passed away. But… I couldn't predict the future. No one can. How could I have known that would have happened? Now, I know for certain that Shikieiki has the ability to set aside her feelings, no matter how much it breaks her, to do what must be done. I know… that she can end Hakurei."

"But… how do we even know if Reimu is alive? She died… she couldn't have come back as an evil spirit?"

"A yama judges spirits, Ms. Margatroid. You should know that. It will fall to Shikieiki to decide what happens to Reimu. If the worst does come to pass, she will have to erase the miko's existence, to prevent any possibility of the corruption spreading. But if Reimu is anything like the being we encountered that night, she is something between the living and the dead. Not like Saigyouji however. She is not a sentient ghost, nor a half phantom. She is something else. Something that should not belong in this dimension. Even now, I can sense her presence wafting across the land, not alive but not dead, and not in one specific place."

"It doesn't… it doesn't make any sense…" Alice fell back against her chair in exasperation, looking at Momiji who had fallen asleep some minutes before. "But… why?"

"I… I do not know, Alice. That is the most I can figure at this point. I don't know what the goal of the one controlling the corruption is. In all likelihood, Reimu has become a puppet of theirs. Beyond that is a mystery." She sat down on a nearby chair and rested her chin in her hands. "It was almost a perfect coincidence that Shikieiki came with Reimu that night. When I realized who the Siren was referring to all the times I visited her, this plan began to form. It wasn't until that villain appeared that I decided to put it into action. Since then, I was waiting for an opportunity to bring the Yama down, under the whole guise that I was restraining a highly dangerous creature that needed to be stopped. In truth… the Siren couldn't really go anywhere. She was only dangerous to vulnerable people like Sanae. Sad, I know. And terrible of me to have done. But it was necessary to ensure that the key player in saving Gensokyo could do it."

"How do you know that Shiki can even stop her?"

"She's the only chance we have that I can think of."

Silence fell between the two. The only sounds in the large library came from Momiji's soft breathing and the faraway jabber between Sanae and Patchouli. Everything seemed bigger than it did before, as if the scope of the world was beginning to reveal itself to them. Just what was at stake now, seemed more important than ever.

Koakuma came floating down from above, setting a new hot cup of tea down in front of Alice, and taking the old one away.

Surprised, the puppeteer uttered a thank you and sipped it graciously.

Quietly, the devil assistant added, "Ms. Shikieiki is a few rows over. She's sitting down and thinking, I think. She looks okay otherwise."

"Thank you," replied Remilia as Koakuma nodded and flitted away with a smile, disappearing off to do something.

Alice looked down into her tea, a single stalk floating upright. _Good luck huh? What could that possibly be these days?_ She scoffed to herself mentally. What were they supposed to do now? Wait? Every day that went by meant that Reimu was getting further away, and Gensokyo was falling deeper to the darkness. Also, they needed to find that celestial, Tenshi. No doubt she would have answers.

Patchouli and Sanae walked over, done with their in depth knowledge sharing.

"Ms. Margatroid," began the green haired shrine maiden, "perhaps we should try a different place. Patchouli gave me an idea, based on the magic seals from earlier."

"Huh? Like, go look somewhere else for clues? But where?"

"Well, the seals have traces of magic from Hakugyoukurou. But at the same time, they also contain celestial power. With that in mind, it would be a good idea to visit both places. It would make sense however, if Reimu is a spirit of some kind now that she'd have run into Yuyuko. And, we were looking for… Tenshi, anyways." She spoke the name of the celestial with some difficulty, but remained composed.

Yes, that would make sense. Alice looked at Remilia, who nodded. "But… perhaps there's something we can learn here still?"

"Do not worry about that, Alice," responded the vampire. "I will be sure to find you and let you know if anything comes up. This matter concerns me as well now. You understand, I'm sure. Besides, you did learn a lot coming here. And we saw what happened with Sanae."

"You're… you're right. Yeah, let's go to Hakugyoukurou. Surely they'll know something. First though… we need to get Shikieiki."

A voice called from down the aisle. "I'm here," spoke the Yama in her usual tone.

"Are you okay?" Asked Sanae worriedly.

She nodded. "Mm. What happened today was… difficult. But… I now understand what I must do. My resolve is stronger than before. I am ready to continue our journey."

Remilia shot Alice a knowing look. She understood perfectly.

"Alright then," began the puppeteer, "are we going now?"

"No point in wasting time. And you heard Ms. Scarlet- they'll take care of anything that happens here."

It was strange, seeing Shikieiki like this, and knowing that only minutes before she was as lost as a young lamb. Now, she was tough, tougher than before, and more commanding. There was only fire in her eyes, and a desire to see results. Alice nodded her agreement and shook the sleeping Momiji awake.

"H-huwaaa?" The sleepy wolf looked around at everyone, a line of drool running down her face. In an instant of realization, she snapped up to attention, beet red with embarrassment. "I-I wasn't sleeping long, r-really!"

Remilia smiled at pat her head, eliciting a happy moan. "You missed something on your mouth," she said, pointing to the drool.

"Huh…" Momiji realized with horror that she had been drooling and wiped it away.

"Ah, just like a little dog. I might have to get a new pet… _something like you_."

"N-no! I'm not like that at all!"

Laughing Remilia gave her one last rustle on the head. "I see. Well, get yourself ready. Your party is about to leave."

"What? We are?" She looked around at the others confusedly.

Alice nodded. "That's right. Our next destination is Hakugyoukurou. We think there may be clues there about Reimu."

"Ah…." Momiji's ears drooped.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" she responded dejectedly.

"Ohhhh… you're… you're afraid of ghosts aren't you?"

She looked away in embarrassment.

Shikieiki stepped forward and scooped her up into her arms.

"Howaah! W-what are you doing Shiki-san?! S-stop!"

The judge regarded her with a simple smile. "We're going to the Netherworld."

"Noooooooooo!" Momiji's cries grew farther away as the Yama began quickly walking towards the grand library's exit.

Alice and Sanae stayed behind to bid farewell to Remilia.

"You're not coming with us are you?" Asked the shrine maiden.

"No," she responded. "I must stay behind and continue to investigate with Patchouli."

"I see. Well, I guess we'll see you then."

"Yes. Farewell, and take care you two."

They waved goodbye and began towards the exit. Shikieiki was already there, impatiently waiting with a struggling Momiji in her arms.

 **In Hakugyoukurou:**

Reimu sat on the porch of the house, looking up at the spirits flitting about this way and that. It had been a few months now, and she'd made great progress in getting used to being a spirit. By using the methods that Yuyuko and Youmu taught her, she was able to attain a corporeal form for short periods at a time. But, no matter what, she was still dead.

Even then, it wasn't so bad. She wasn't hungry all the time, money didn't matter, and the worries of the world were far away.

At least, that's what being dead should've been like anyways.

But something was happening out in the living world. She'd hear it from the spirits as they mumbled to each other. She'd even overhear Yuyuko and Youmu mention something about the outside every now and then. It wasn't good.

It seemed some kind of dark power was beginning to seep into Gensokyo, but only the most sensitive of Youkai could really feel it. Even now, it was only a rumor, but a scary one at that.

Not only that, but judging by what she heard, it all started when she was killed by Tenshi, and began living here. That damned celestial.

Reimu made a mental promise to show that annoying girl what true fear and pain was. But she wouldn't kill her. She didn't do that sort of thing.

Youmu came out and sat down beside her, brandishing a plate with delicious looking mochi. "Want some?" She asked.

The miko nodded and focused her will into materializing, regaining her physical body. It was always a weird process, temporarily coming back to life (technically still dead) and feeling her heart "sort of" beat. In truth, it was a kind of energy manipulation that mimicked what the body used to be in its physical state. This was done by drawing in living energy from the air, or another source such as a life crystal or living being, and applying that power to the DNA blueprint present in the soul. This would recreate the body, but only for as long as a steady stream of energy could be maintained. One could not permanently regain a lost form like this, but Yuyuko has hinted at the possibility of using a method like this in reincarnation.

"You're getting pretty good at that," encouraged Youmu, smiling.

Reimu yawned and stretched, the feeling of temporary life rejuvenating her. "Yeah, it's pretty great honestly. Though, it's still not really being alive."

"Mm, that's true. But, being a spirit has its good sides, right?"

She shrugged and bit into a mochi, shuddering in delight at the explosion of flavor in her mouth.

"Then again, I guess I'm still alive. Though I'm part spirit." Youmu began to munch on her own, and leaned back comfortably. "Yuyuko-sama thinks you'd be great as part of the Saigyouji family. Would you consider joining them?"

"Mmm, nah." Reimu shook her head after swallowing the last bite. "I was a Hakurei when I lived, and until I died. I'll always be a Hakurei."

"I understand. She's just so fond of you, you know."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Mm… by the way. How long can you maintain that form now?"

The shrine maiden thought about it, and analyzed how she was doing. "Huh… maybe… thirty minutes? It's been about ten now, and I'm feeling alright. I'll probably start losing it in another fifteen or so."

"That's very good! I wonder if… well… maybe not."

She looked over in curiosity at the gardener. "Wonder what?"

"Ah, I don't know if I should say."

"Come on. Anything you tell me can't be more surprising than when I found out that I could come back to life for a little bit."

Youmu shrugged. "Well… Yuyuko-sama thinks you may be ready to venture back out into Gensokyo. Into the living world. But you'd go with me."

Reimu stared at her in shock. "W-what? Seriously? Can I do that?"

"Yes… Yuyuko-sama uses the same method that we taught you to maintain a corporeal form while in Genoskyo. Since she is a much older spirit however, she is able to do so for far longer, and with greater ease."

"I see… Um. When might I be able to do this?"

"You could go out now, actually. But…"

"But what?"

"But we are concerned about what you will do once you're there. You might make some… brash decisions."

"Brash?! The brashest thing I've ever done was get killed!"

"Please, Reimu-san, you must understand that the balance between the living and the dead is very delicate. You must not interfere with the living too much, or it will cause problems. Yuyuko-sama is already problematic enough as it is."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Tch. I get it, I get it. Seriously though, if I could have a chance to at least say goodbye, or even talk to _them_ again… I'd give anything."

Youmu looked at her in understanding. "You're a good person, you know that right? Ms. Hakurei?"

"I suppose."

The day passed without much incident. Reimu decided that she needed to train herself even more so she could maintain a corporeal form for even longer, and with less energy. She needed to do this for _their_ sake.

 _One day_ , she promised herself. _One day, I'm going to walk with them again_.


	18. What is Life

Border of Good and Evil

Ch. 18

What Is Life?

 **Two weeks after the funeral at Hakurei Shrine:**

She coughed and sputtered as fresh air filled her dry lungs, while the blood coursing through her stiff body felt like it was ripping her apart from the inside. Slowly, the cloudy view of the sky above came into focus as a familiar face loomed over her.

"Hello, my dear. Welcome back to the living." The woman smiled warmly and extended a hand down towards the girl in the open grave.

With uncertain movements, she strained herself, willing her heavy arm to reach up. She grasped the woman's hand and nearly screamed as she was lifted forcefully up and out of the hole. The pain was intense, as if every fiber of her muscle and bone were being torn.

"Try to bear with it. I know that the pain of reanimation is very intense. You've been dead for a few weeks now. It'll pass as your body gets used to working again."

The only thought in her mind was of pain, and how soon it would stop. Surely, but slowly, it began to ebb away, leaving her to think more clearly. _W… why am I here again? I… I died… didn't I?_

"How are you feeling?" The woman looked at her in curious concern, her soft hand still holding the girl's.

"I'm…" Her tongue was dry, and the words wouldn't come.

"Ah, right. Here, drink this." She handed her a flask of water. "It'll help get you going."

Slowly, the girl brought it to her lips and felt the rejuvenating succor of the cold, wet life giving liquid quench her palette as it moved down her gullet. Every part of her body felt more alive, more sensitive, more like it did when she had been alive. Well, she was alive again… wasn't she?

"How's that?"

"It's… good." She replied in bits, testing her mouth before responding fully. "I'm… alive again… but how?"

"Well, it's been a little long in coming, but I finally managed to get the power necessary in bringing you back. Do you know who I am?"

"You're… familiar… but from where?"

"Well, of course I'm familiar!" The woman smiled and brushed her dark brown hair from her face. "You should know your own mother."

"M… mom?"

"That's right. Remember? Your name, where we are, who you were, all of that?"

It came in pieces, but the picture was there. "I'm… I do remember. My name was… is… Reimu Hakurei."

"Yes, and I am your mother, Mai Hakurei. Welcome back, my daughter. I've missed you." Mai gave the shrine maiden a delicate hug. "I'd squeeze the life out of you, but I wouldn't want to lose you again."

"Mother…" Reimu didn't know what to feel. She was alive and could sense everything like usual. She remembered her entire life, and the events that led up to the day she was killed. Flying to the mansion, chasing the shadow, saving Sanae, and feeling the cold blade of the celestial pierce her, as her breath stopped. But… still… something was missing. Some kind of… emotion. She knew she should've felt some kind of anger, or even sadness, but nothing was there. Just… just the feeling of being alive.

"You must be wondering why I brought you back. Well, Gensokyo still needs you, and there's no one else who can fill your shoes. I need your help in saving it."

"Why… I thought you were my enemy?" Reimu recalled chasing after Mai, and encountering the corruption she brought. But… she didn't feel like she was her enemy at all. Rather… she felt a connection that she never had before. She needed to be by her mother's side no matter what. That was the emotion she had now.

"Reimu, we were never enemies. You just didn't understand my position yet. Soon, it will all be clearer, but for now, I need you to follow me. There's a lot that must be done before Gensokyo will be safe."

"I… I understand. What do I do, mom?"

Mai smiled. "For now, we need you to get back on your feet. I do need to tell you though, that resurrecting you came at the cost of some of your powers, and features. You don't look quite the same anymore, and your abilities have become… more like mine. I shall teach you how to harness that power. But don't worry, you are still as beautiful as ever."

"Will… will my friends recognize me?"

She looked down sadly. "I'm sorry. But that's another thing I must explain to you. Since you look a bit different, they won't know you right away. However, you can't let them know you're alive again. They'll try to stop us from saving Gensokyo, because they don't understand what we're doing. You can't be with them again. Please, try to forget them."

Reimu nodded. She thought it was strange though, that she didn't feel sorrow in losing them. There wasn't any desire to try to reconnect with them. All she felt that was important now, was to follow her mother's wishes. Mother was most important now. If Marisa, Alice, Shikieiki, or anybody got in the way, she would put them down without a second thought. They were the ones putting Gensokyo in the real danger. It wasn't their fault though, but no chances could be given. Saving Gensokyo and maintaining the balance was the duty of the Hakurei Shrine maiden.

Mai gently led Reimu along towards the front of the Shrine. "Remember? This is your home, our home. But we won't be staying here, it's not safe. I have somewhere else for us to go."

A portal appeared in front of the donation box.

"Right through here is where your true home lies, Reimu. Come with me, and we can get started on bringing you back to health."

 _Huh, that portal… it's familiar. But… the one who makes those is Yukari. Is she helping Mama? If so, then she is my friend._ Reimu looked at it happily. _She was such a troublesome Youkai, but I'm glad she's doing the right thing now._

"Are you coming, daughter?"

She nodded, and stepped forward. "Yes Mother," she replied as the portal closed behind them.

The day continued on, and no sign of the portal was left. Somehow, the grave was refilled, with no indication that it had been dug up. No one knew what happened here.

No one could know.


End file.
